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LogicalAcid
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The electronegativity of Oxygen is higher than that of H, thus the electrons tend to stay a little more on the oxygens electron orbitals, right?
Yanick said:Just to expand on what Borek has said.
Why is carbon dioxide not polar while water is polar (in terms of net dipole not polarity of individual bonds)?
[/URL]Redbelly98 said:CO2 is a linear molecule; the two polar bonds point in opposite directions, and cancel each other out.
Since H20 is a bent molecule, the two polar bonds don't cancel each other.
EDIT:
Here's an image of a water molecule: the left side is more negative than the right side, resulting in an overall dipole moment for the molecule:
[URL]http://bioweb.wku.edu/courses/biol115/Wyatt/water1.gif
LogicalAcid said:I see, thank you
Borek said:Just in case you only think you see - what is geometry of both molecules? CO2? H2O?
Yanick said:Do you own a General Chemistry text? I would suggest purchasing one, these are things that are pretty clearly explained in the text that I own.
As far as your current question:
http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/vsepr/
Yanick said:Wait, you go to middle school and you're trying to learn college level general chemistry?
H20 polar refers to the polar nature of the water molecule, which means it has a slight positive charge on one end and a slight negative charge on the other end.
Oxygen electronegativity is a measure of how strongly oxygen atoms attract electrons in a chemical bond. It is one of the highest electronegativities among all elements, which contributes to the polar nature of water.
The difference in electronegativity between oxygen and hydrogen atoms in the water molecule is the main cause of electron disparity. Oxygen's high electronegativity pulls the shared electrons closer to itself, creating a slight negative charge on the oxygen atom and a slight positive charge on the hydrogen atoms.
The polarity of H20 affects its properties in many ways. For example, it allows water to dissolve polar substances, creates surface tension, and causes water molecules to stick together through hydrogen bonding. It also contributes to water's high boiling point and specific heat capacity.
No, H20 cannot be nonpolar. The electronegativity difference between oxygen and hydrogen atoms in the water molecule is too great, resulting in a polar molecule. However, other molecules such as carbon dioxide can be nonpolar if the electronegativity difference between the atoms is small or if the molecule has a symmetrical shape.