Polarity in molecules Flashcards
Deck focused on the study of polarity in molecules according to their structure. Symmetry is included among its topics.
What is polarity in a molecule?
It is the unequal distribution of electric charge (or electrons) in a molecule.
It occurs when electrons are shared unequally between atoms with different electronegativities.
What are the main aspects determining the polarity in a molecule?
The main aspects are electronegativity and molecular geometry.
If the difference in electronegativity of the atoms is significant and the geometry does not cancel the dipoles, the molecule is polar.
What is a dipole in a molecule?
It is a separation of positive and negative electric charges in the same molecule.
What effect does polarity have on the properties of a molecule?
It affects boiling point, melting point, solubility, and other physical properties.
Polar molecules are usually soluble in water and have higher boiling and melting points than nonpolar molecules.
What is the difference between polar and nonpolar molecules?
Polar molecules have an uneven distribution of charges, while nonpolar molecules have an even distribution.
In nonpolar molecules, electrons are more evenly distributed among the atoms due to low diference in electronegativity or molecular simmetry.
