Is CO2 a polar or nonpolar molecule?
Understand the Problem
The question is seeking to understand the polarity of the carbon dioxide molecule (CO2). Polarity is determined by the electronegativity of the atoms and the molecular geometry, and in this case, CO2's linear shape results in a nonpolar character despite the polar bonds between carbon and oxygen.
Answer
non-polar
The final answer is non-polar.
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is non-polar.
More Information
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a linear molecule with O=C=O structure. Though the bonds between carbon and oxygen (C=O) are polar, the linear arrangement causes the dipole moments to cancel each other out, resulting in a non-polar molecule.
Tips
A common mistake is assuming that polar bonds always lead to a polar molecule, which is not true if the molecular geometry causes the dipole moments to cancel out.
