Anatomy and Physiology Summer Work

Loading Flow

Downloading Image /

15. Nonpolar molecules are electrically balanced because they do not have separate positive and negative poles of charge. Polar molecules result when there is unequal electron pair sharing. Carbon dioxide and water can demonstrate how molecular shape and their relative electron-attracting abilities of atoms determine whether a covalently bonded molecule is polar or nonpolar. In carbon dioxide, carbon shares four electron pairs with two oxygen atoms. Oxygen is very electronegative and attracts the shared electrons more strongly than carbon. However, because the carbon dioxide molecule is linear and symmetrical, the electron-pulling ability of one oxygen atom is offset by the other. The shared electrons orbit the entire molecule and carbon dioxide is a nonpolar molecule.

Downloading Image /

left

right

17 / 43

fullscreen

Anatomy and Physiology Summer Work

By Alexis Collins

Create your Flow