Chemistry / Chem 1060 · Atom · ~20 seconds
Molecular Polarity from Bond Polarity and Geometry
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A molecule is polar only if it has polar bonds arranged asymmetrically, so their individual dipoles fail to cancel to zero.
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Water's two O–H bond dipoles, bent at an angle rather than opposite each other, add to a net molecular dipole.
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Bond polarity alone never determines molecular polarity — the molecule's overall geometry decides whether those bond dipoles cancel.