Determining Dipoles

[charlotte_jacobs_4I]

How do you determine the dipole direction and sign on a molecule?

[Leela_Mohan3L]

The dipole direction goes towards the more electronegative atom. For example, if you have HF, the dipole would be pointing towards fluorine since it is more electronegative than Hydrogen. Thus, the Hydrogen would be delta positive and the Fluorine would be delta negative.

[Chem_Mod]

The dipole arrow starts at the partially positive charged atom, and the head is at the partially negative charged atom. This indicates that electrons are being drawn towards the partially negative charged atom. You determine the partial charges based on electronegativity (less electronegative means electrons are less tightly held and more likely to be drawn away from that atom).