AP BIOLOGY

BIOCHEMISTRY

POLAR AND NONPOLAR MOLECULES

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Classify the following molecule as polar or nonpolar:NCl3 (nitrogen trichloride) (Hint:draw the Lewis structure)
A
polar
B
nonpolar
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Nitrogen trichloride (NCl3) is a polar molecule. It consists of three weakly polar N-Cl bonds due to an electronegativity difference of 0.12 units between the bonded atoms.

Detailed explanation-2: -All trigonal pyramidal molecules are polar because the asymmetry introduced by the lone pair ensures the bond dipoles do not cancel out to zero.

Detailed explanation-3: -Answer: NCl3 is a polar molecule due the presence of a lone pair of electrons. This leads to electron-electron repulsion which results in a bent structure, thereby causing an unequal distribution of charge within the molecule and creating a permanent dipole.

Detailed explanation-4: -However, theBCl3 molecule is non-polar. This is because BCl3 is trigonal planar in shape. It is a symmetrical molecule. Hence, the respective dipole-moments of the B–Cl bond cancel each other, thereby causing a zero-dipole moment.

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