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7 Dipole Moments
Suggested Reading
Essential Question
Learning Objectives
Introduction
Dipole Moment
You can see from the data above that molecules can be either polar of non-
polar depending on whether or not there is a net dipole moment. Any
diatomic molecule that has a polar bond will also show a molecular dipole
moment. Polyatomic molecules can also exhibit polar behavior. Water is a
familiar example of this. Similarly, the NH3 molecule has a dipole moment
since the N is more polar than H. Some molecules with polar bonds do not
have a dipole moment. This occurs when the individual bond polarities
cancel each other out. The CO2 molecule is the most common example of
this.
The analysis we have just made of the two different geometries of AX2
molecules can be extended to other AXn molecules (in which all X atoms
are identical). Molecules in which the A-X bonds are symmetrical about the
central atom (such as the linear, trigonal planar, and tetrahedral
geometries) have a zero dipole moment, and are nonpolar. Molecules
where the X atoms are not symmetrical (such as the bent and trigonal
pyramidal geometries) can have a dipole moment. Thus, they can be polar
molecules.
The following video does a great job of showing dipole moments in both
polar and nonpolar molecules (dipole = 0)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ikq5opgPg