Practice question · Select all that apply
Which molecules are polar overall?
Hints
- Look for a geometry that fails to cancel the bond dipoles.
- Perfectly symmetric tetrahedral substitution cancels; replacing one substituent breaks it.
Show the answer
- A.
- B.
- C.
Why
Water and ammonia are polar because lone pairs make them asymmetric; CHCl3 is polar because one of four substituents differs. CCl4 has four identical bonds in a symmetric tetrahedron, which cancel exactly.
Practise Molecular Geometry and Polarity
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