Is O2 polar or nonpolar?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking whether the oxygen molecule (O2) is polar or nonpolar, which relates to its molecular structure and the distribution of charge within the molecule.
Answer
O2 is nonpolar.
The final answer is O2 is nonpolar.
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is O2 is nonpolar.
More Information
Oxygen (O2) is a diatomic molecule consisting of two oxygen atoms sharing electrons equally due to their identical electronegativity. This makes the molecule nonpolar.
Tips
A common mistake is to assume that because oxygen is highly electronegative, the molecule must be polar. However, for diatomic molecules of the same element, the molecule is nonpolar as there is no difference in electronegativity between the two atoms.
Sources
- Molecular Polarity - Khan Academy - khanacademy.org
- Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry - LibreTexts - chem.libretexts.org
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