Electronegativity and dipole moments

[saltyload]

is there a relationship between the two? its been bugging me for a while. can't find the answer.

 

[bomba923]

Differences in electronegativity cause dipole moments.

 

[ravenprp]

Yes, there is a strong relationship between electronegativity and dipole moments. Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons in a chemical bond, while dipole moment is a measure of the separation of positive and negative charges in a molecule.

In general, the greater the difference in electronegativity between two atoms in a bond, the larger the dipole moment of the molecule. This is because the more electronegative atom will pull the shared electrons closer to itself, creating a partial negative charge, while the other atom will have a partial positive charge.

For example, in a bond between hydrogen and fluorine, fluorine is more electronegative than hydrogen, so the dipole moment of the molecule will point towards the fluorine atom. On the other hand, in a bond between two atoms with similar electronegativities, such as carbon and hydrogen, the dipole moment will be smaller or even zero.

In addition, the overall polarity of a molecule is determined by the combination of all the individual bond dipoles. This means that molecules with polar bonds, but with symmetrical shapes, can have a net dipole moment of zero. On the other hand, molecules with polar bonds and an asymmetrical shape, such as water, will have a net dipole moment.

In summary, electronegativity and dipole moments are closely related and understanding their relationship is important in predicting the polarity and behavior of molecules.