AP BIOLOGY

LABORATORY REVIEW

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
The oxygen atom in a water molecule has a partial ____ charge.
A
negative
B
positive
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -In a water molecule, the oxygen nucleus with +8 charges attracts electrons better than the hydrogen nucleus with its +1 charge. Hence, the oxygen atom is partially negatively charged and the hydrogen atom is partially positively charged.

Detailed explanation-2: -The oxygen atom contains 6 outer electrons, but atoms are only stable when there are 8 outer electrons. As a result, oxygen atoms seek out other atoms that can share electrons. This imbalance of outer electrons means an oxygen atom has a slight negative charge (-2) because of the missing 2 electrons.

Detailed explanation-3: -Because oxygen is more electronegative-electron-greedy-than hydrogen, the Ostart text, O, end text atom hogs electrons and keeps them away from the Hstart text, H, end text atoms. This gives the oxygen end of the water molecule a partial negative charge, while the hydrogen end has a partial positive charge.

Detailed explanation-4: -Answer and Explanation: Oxygen has a partial negative charge because it has a polar covalent bond with hydrogen. In the water molecule, one oxygen atom is bound to two hydrogen atoms.

Detailed explanation-5: -Thus, in an HCl molecule, the chlorine atom carries a partial negative charge and the hydrogen atom has a partial positive charge.

There is 1 question to complete.