Dipole moments

[Ekin 1C]

how do you figure out if a compound has a dipole moment?/how strong it is

[Ya Gao]

Hey, dipole moment is resulted from an uneven distribution of electrons between atoms. When the electronegativity difference between the atom is big, the dipole moment will be big and when the electronegativity difference is small, the dipole moment will be small. Hope it helps.

[Christine Wastila 1H]

Be sure to make sure that the dipoles do not cancel, though. This can be determined by looking at the VSEPR model. For example, CO2 is nonpolar because of its linear form even though O is more electronegative than C. Since the dipoles are directly across from each other, they cancel.