Dipole and Polarity [ENDORSED]

[Alondra Loera 1A]

If a molecular structure has dipole charges that do not cancel each other out does that mean that it is polar?

[Shawn Schwartz 1D]

If a molecular structure has dipole charges that do not cancel each other out does that mean that it is polar?

Yes, if a molecular structure's dipole charges do not cancel out, then it is polar. For example, water is polar which is why it is the amazing solvent that it is on Earth and has so many uses and applications.

Water Structure (with polarity):

WaterDipole.gif (51.27 KiB) Viewed 887 times

The net dipole vectors created from the partial positives and negatives due to the electronegativity of each atom in the species is what determines where the dipoles are pointed and which direction the magnitudes of each of the charges are the most heavily pointed.

So, when the dipoles do not cancel out and the net dipole moment vector points more in one direction, then that species is indeed polar.

[Ashley Bertholf 1E]

So does this mean that if an element is more electronegative it has a slightly negative charge?

[Patrick Ricaflanca 2H]

If given a list of molecules, how would you determine which has the highest dipole moment? (Assuming they all have dipole moments)