Describe chemical compounds as CHARGED, POLAR or NONPOLAR

[aero_zeppelin]

Ok, I thought the only two options in existence were Polar and Non-polar... and I'm being asked which ones are CHARGED? What does this mean?

Example: NH4+ (ammonium), NO3- (nitrate), N2, O2, H2O

Thanks!

 

[aero_zeppelin]

... or maybe they mean if the molecule is polar or non-polar and to say if it has a charge (ionized)?

 

[Frogeyedpeas]

That is what they mean...

All molecules are intrinsically polar or non-polar,

Now certain ionic compounds (which are EXTREMELY polar hence given the name ionic btw) can become charged as well, think about how they behave in the presence of a polar medium

The best example is as follows:

Mixing salt (NaCl) with water (H20) what happens?

Which is Polar/Nonpolar? Which is Ionic also? What happens then if they are mixed... Suppose that you were mixing just water inside a (high temperature) liquid salt medium... How would it behave

Realize that Ionic means that you are mixing metals and non-metals together. (To understand why imagine what happens if you mix a halogen with an alkali metal)

If you answer those questions above, it will make a lot of sense what the answer to this test is.