Is CO2 nonpolar or polar?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking whether carbon dioxide (CO2) is a polar or nonpolar molecule. To determine this, we can assess the molecular geometry and electronegativity of the atoms involved.
Answer
CO2 is nonpolar.
The final answer is that CO2 is nonpolar.
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is that CO2 is nonpolar.
More Information
This occurs because the CO2 molecule has a linear geometry, which means that the two polar bonds between carbon and oxygen are directly opposite and cancel each other out, resulting in no net dipole moment.
Tips
A common mistake is to assume that CO2 is polar just because it has polar covalent bonds; however, molecular geometry must also be considered.
Sources
- OCW - Principles of Chemical Science - MIT - ocw.mit.edu
- Why is carbon dioxide a non polar molecule, even though the C O bonds are polar? - Byjus - byjus.com
- 8.8: Bond and Molecular Polarity - Chemistry LibreTexts - chem.libretexts.org
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