Very simple polar covalent bond questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter nemzy
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Bond Polar
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

Polar covalent bonds form when one atom is significantly more electronegative than another, leading to "unfair sharing" of electrons. An example of a polar covalent bond is the C-H bond, which exhibits low polarity due to the minimal electronegativity difference between carbon and hydrogen. In contrast, the H-F bond represents a highly polar covalent bond. Water (H2O) is another example of a polar covalent compound, where oxygen's higher electronegativity allows it to attract electrons from hydrogen atoms, resulting in a stable molecule.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electronegativity and its role in bond formation
  • Familiarity with covalent versus ionic bonds
  • Basic knowledge of molecular geometry, particularly tetrahedral structures
  • Concept of dipole moments in chemistry
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the concept of electronegativity and its measurement
  • Study the differences between polar covalent and ionic bonds
  • Learn about molecular geometry and its impact on polarity
  • Explore the role of +R and +I effects in organic reactions
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, educators, and professionals interested in understanding molecular bonding, polarity, and their implications in organic chemistry.

nemzy
Messages
124
Reaction score
0
polar covalent bonds occur because one atom is much more electronegative than the other right?

so..an example of a polar covalent bond is C-H ?
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
not necessarily much more... if the differnce in electronegativity is too high the bond is likely ionic but within covalent bonds polar covalent bonds is basically "unfair sharing" while in ionic bonds there's no sharing. a c-h bond is polar covalent but not that polar. but a H-F bond is prolly as polar you can get within covalent bonds.
 
This should be under chemistry, but the answer to your first question is yes, the stronger the electronegative force, the more likely the atom is to form a bond, that is, it is more reactive. Water is polar covalent, Oxygen needing only 2 electrons to stabilize its outer shell, so it takes 2 electrons from 2 hydrogen atoms leaving just 2 protons (though it's covalent not ionic so they are still sharing electrons)

C-H would not react like so. C-H_4 is what would happen, with Carbon acting like a metal (carbon is a metalloid) and Hydrogen acting as a gas. Carbon has 6 protons so its nucleus charge is 6+ a greater charge than Hydrogen 1+, so it is more electronegative. But in this case it still needs 4 electrons to fill its outer shell. This is because a full 2nd energy level (2s^2 2p^6) has 8 electrons. That is when 8 are in its second energy level, it is stable and inert. Carbon 2s^22p^2 only has 4 (2+2, the exponent says how many electrons are in that shell) so it needs 4 more, therefore it takes 4 from hydrogen making a covalent molecule. Because it is tetrahedronal it will not be as polar as water.
So in order to make carbon tetrahydride you would need 4 times as much hydrogen then carbon. :biggrin:
 
Hello, acetone (\displaystyle (H_3C)_2-C=O) is a good example for polar covalent bonds. In this compound, a polar C=O group is present, in which there are sufficiently different electronegativities of the participating atoms. As other friends said, C-H bond is not very polar, so alkanes are the least polar groups, but acetone is much more polar than alkanes.
 
Last edited:
Any bond between two dissimilar atoms is polar.

The greater the difference in electronegativity and the larger the atoms, the greater is the polarity (or dipole moment). The electronegativity difference between C and H is nearly the smallest it can be among any pair. Also, both atoms are tiny. So, in fact, such a bond has a fairly low polarity.

Still, there is some non-negligible polarity in this bond, which plays an important role in organic reactions via what are known as +R and +I effects.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 34 ·
2
Replies
34
Views
5K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
2K
Replies
14
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
9K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
3K
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
5K