Asked Feb 19, 2019

Why is molecular polarity so important when discussing molecules? How can you determine where or not a molecule is (polar) or (non polar) with regard to there charge distribution?


Expert Answer

Step 1

Molecules are made up of two or more atoms. This means that two or more atoms of the same element or of different elements combine chemically to form the molecule. The molecules can be polar or non-polar. The molecule is polar when the bond is polar due to the charge difference in nature. And the molecule is non-polar if the bond is non-polar in nature due to no charge separation.

Step 2


The molecule is polar in nature when there is a charge difference between the two atoms. The charge difference between two atoms arises due to the electronegativity difference. Like in water molecule. In a water molecule, there are two hydrogens and one oxygen atom. There is an electronegativity difference between the hydrogen atom and the oxygen atom. Due to this, there is polarity in the water molecule as oxygen acquires a slight negative charge and a hydrogen atom acquires a slight positive charge. The molecule is non-polar in nature if there is an equal distribu...

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