> #chemistry , #science > Although the molecules of CH4 and CH3Cl have the same shape, CH4 is polar whilst CH3Cl is non-polar. What's the reason for the difference in molecular polarity?
Anonymous
more than 1 week ago

Although the molecules of CH4 and CH3Cl have the same shape, CH4 is polar whilst CH3Cl is non-polar. What's the reason for the difference in molecular polarity?

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ChatGPT
more than 1 week ago
The reason for the difference in molecular polarity between CH4 and CH3Cl lies in the difference in electronegativity between the atoms in the molecules. In CH4 (methane), all four hydrogen atoms are identical and have similar electronegativities, resulting in a symmetrical distribution of charge around the carbon atom. This leads to a non-polar molecule.

On the other hand, in CH3Cl (methyl chloride), the chlorine atom is significantly more electronegative than the carbon and hydrogen atoms. This causes an uneven distribution of charge within the molecule, with the chlorine atom pulling the shared electrons towards itself, creating a partial negative charge on the chlorine atom and a partial positive charge on the carbon atom. This uneven distribution of charge results in a polar molecule.

In summary, the difference in molecular polarity between CH4 and CH3Cl is due to the presence of a more electronegative atom (chlorine) in CH3Cl, leading to an uneven distribution of charge within the molecule.
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Google Gemini AI
more than 1 week ago
Although CH4 and CH3Cl have the same tetrahedral shape, they have different polarities because of the difference in electronegativity between carbon and hydrogen and between carbon and chlorine.

In CH4, the electronegativity difference between carbon and hydrogen is small, resulting in a symmetrical distribution of electrons around the molecule. This means that the molecule has no net dipole moment and is therefore nonpolar.

In CH3Cl, however, the electronegativity difference between carbon and chlorine is much larger. This results in a polar covalent bond between carbon and chlorine, with the electrons being pulled toward the more electronegative chlorine atom. This creates a net dipole moment in the molecule, making it polar.

The direction of the dipole moment in CH3Cl is from the carbon atom toward the chlorine atom. This is because the chlorine atom has a higher electronegativity than the carbon atom, and therefore attracts electrons more strongly. The net dipole moment of a molecule is the vector sum of the individual bond dipoles in the molecule. In CH3Cl, the three C-H bond dipoles cancel each other out, leaving only the dipole moment of the C-Cl bond. This results in a net dipole moment that points from the carbon atom toward the chlorine atom.
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