Polar and Non-polar

Molecules
 VOCABULARY
• Polarity is a state or a condition of an atom or a molecule inherent in a body that exhibits
opposite properties or powers in opposite parts or direction.
• Electronegativity refers to the ability of an atom to attract shared electrons in a covalent
bond.
• Covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs
between atoms.

• Ionic bond is a chemical bond that involves the donating of electrons of one atom to another atom.
• Lewis structure is a graphic representation of the electron distribution around atoms.
• Valence electrons are electrons that located in the outermost electron shell of an atom.
 LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• Determine if a molecule is polar or non-polar
 POLAR VS. NON-POLAR
Polar and non-polar molecules are the
two broad classes of molecules.
Polarity describes the distribution of • Polar bonds form between atoms of
electrical charge around a molecule.
Charge is evenly distributed in a non-
polar molecule, but unevenly
distributed in a polar molecule. In
other words, a polar molecule has
regions of partial charge.
• Nonpolar bonds form between two non-
metals with the same electronegativity
value.
elements with different electronegativity
values.
• Nonpolar molecules may contain any type of
chemical bonds, but the partial charges
cancel each other out.
• Polar molecules contain polar covalent or
ionic bonds that are arranges so their partial
charges do not cancel each other out.
 MOLECULAR POLARITY

Non-polar molecules will be
symmetric, meaning all of the
sides around the central atom
are identical - bonded to the
same element with no
unshared pairs of electrons.
Some examples of nonpolar molecules
based on molecular geometry (BF3 and CCl4).
 Polar molecules are asymmetric, either containing lone pairs of electrons on a central
atom or having atoms with different electronegativities bonded. 

Some examples of polar molecules

based on molecular geometry (HCl, NH3 and CH3Cl).

A polar molecule is a molecule in which one end of

the molecule is slightly positive, while the other end
is slightly negative. A diatomic molecule that
consists of a polar covalent bond, such as HF, is a
polar molecule.
 PREDICTING MOLECULAR POLARITY

To determine if a molecule is polar or nonpolar, it is frequently useful to

look at Lewis structures. 
General Steps
• Step 1: Draw a reasonable Lewis structure for the substance.
• Step 2: Identify each bond as either polar or nonpolar. (If the difference in electronegativity for the
atoms in a bond is greater than 0.4, we consider the bond polar. If the difference in electronegativity is
less than 0.4, the bond is essentially nonpolar.)

• Step 3: If there is only one central atom, examine the electron groups around it.
• Step 4: Draw a geometric sketch of the molecule.
• Step 5: Determine the symmetry of the molecule using the following steps.
Describe the polar bonds with arrows pointing toward the more electronegative
element. Use the length of the arrow to show the relative polarities of the different
bonds. (A greater difference in electronegativity suggests a more polar bond, which
is described with a longer arrow.)
 EXAMPLES
a. The Lewis structure for CO2 is

The electronegativities of carbon and oxygen are 2.55 and 3.44. The 0.89
difference in electronegativity indicates that the C-O bonds are polar, but the
symmetrical arrangement of these bonds makes the molecule nonpolar.
If we put arrows into the geometric sketch for CO2, we see that they exactly
balance each other, in both direction and magnitude. This shows the symmetry
of the bonds.

b. The Lewis structure for OF2 is

The electronegativities of oxygen and fluorine, 3.44 and 3.98, respectively, produce a
0.54 difference that leads us to predict that the O-F bonds are polar. 
The molecular geometry of OF2 is bent. Such an asymmetrical
distribution of polar bonds would produce a polar molecule.
 SUMMARY
• Non polar molecules are symmetric with no
unshared electrons.
• Polar molecules are asymmetric, either containing
lone pairs of electrons on a central atom or having
atoms with different electronegativities bonded.
 EXERCISES
a. Water, H2O: b. Methanol, CH3OH:
 EXERCISES
c. Oxygen, O2: d. Propane, C3H8: