Rucete ✏ Chemistry In a Nutshell
1. What is a Dipole Moment?
- Dipole moment measures the polarity of a bond or molecule.
- Represented as a vector with both magnitude (strength) and direction.
2. How to Determine Dipole Moments
- Non-polar molecules have a zero dipole moment.
- Polar molecules have a net dipole moment due to differences in electronegativity.
- Direction of the dipole vector:
- Arrow points from the less electronegative atom to the more electronegative atom.
- Length of the arrow represents the strength of the polarity.
3. Key Properties
- Non-polar molecules = No dipole moment (e.g., O₂, N₂, CO₂).
- Polar molecules = Net dipole moment (e.g., H₂O, NH₃, HCl).
- Symmetrical molecules tend to be non-polar even if they contain polar bonds.
- Example: CO₂ is non-polar because the dipoles cancel out.
- Example: H₂O is polar because the dipoles do not cancel out.
In a nutshell
"Polar Bears Have Direction!"
- Polar molecules have a dipole moment and direction.
- Non-polar molecules cancel out and have no dipole moment.
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Chemistry in a nutshell