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Ch. 1 - Remembering General Chemistry: Electronic Structure and Bonding (Part 2)
Bruice - Organic Chemistry 8th Edition
Bruice8th EditionOrganic ChemistryISBN: 9780135213711Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksBruice 8th EditionCh. 1 - Remembering General Chemistry: Electronic Structure and Bonding (Part 2)Problem 50a
Chapter 2, Problem 50a

Which of the following has a polar covalent bond?
CH3NH2 CH3CH3 CH3F CH3OH

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1
Step 1: Understand the concept of polar covalent bonds. A polar covalent bond occurs when two atoms share electrons unequally due to a difference in their electronegativities. The atom with higher electronegativity pulls the shared electrons closer, creating a partial negative charge (δ-) on that atom and a partial positive charge (δ+) on the other atom.
Step 2: Analyze the electronegativity of the atoms in each molecule. For example, fluorine (F) and oxygen (O) are highly electronegative, while carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) have lower electronegativities. Nitrogen (N) is moderately electronegative.
Step 3: Examine each molecule: - CH3NH2: The bond between N and H is polar because N is more electronegative than H. - CH3CH3: All bonds are between C and H or C and C, which are nonpolar due to similar electronegativities. - CH3F: The bond between C and F is polar because F is much more electronegative than C. - CH3OH: The bond between O and H is polar because O is more electronegative than H.
Step 4: Compare the molecules and identify which ones contain polar covalent bonds. Molecules with bonds between atoms of significantly different electronegativities will have polar covalent bonds.
Step 5: Conclude that CH3NH2, CH3F, and CH3OH contain polar covalent bonds, while CH3CH3 does not because it only contains nonpolar bonds.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Polar Covalent Bonds

Polar covalent bonds occur when two atoms share electrons unequally due to a difference in electronegativity. In such bonds, the atom with higher electronegativity attracts the shared electrons more strongly, resulting in a partial negative charge on that atom and a partial positive charge on the other. This creates a dipole moment, making the molecule polar.
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Electronegativity

Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract and hold onto electrons in a chemical bond. The scale of electronegativity, developed by Linus Pauling, ranges from 0 to 4, with fluorine being the most electronegative element. Understanding electronegativity helps predict the nature of bonds between different atoms, particularly whether they will be ionic, polar covalent, or nonpolar covalent.
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Molecular Polarity

Molecular polarity refers to the distribution of electrical charge across a molecule, which is influenced by the presence of polar bonds and the molecule's shape. A molecule is polar if it has a net dipole moment, meaning that the vector sum of all dipole moments does not cancel out. This property affects the molecule's physical characteristics, such as solubility and boiling point.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

What is the hybridization of all the atoms (other than hydrogen) in each of the following?

What are the bond angles around each atom?

i. H3O+

j. H2C═O

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Textbook Question

If the dipole moment of CH3F is 1.847 D and the dipole moment of CD3F is 1.858 D, which is more electronegative: hydrogen or deuterium?

Textbook Question

Which of the following has a bond closest to the ionic end of the bond spectrum?

CH3NH2 CH3CH3 CH3F CH3OH

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Textbook Question

What is the hybridization of all the atoms (other than hydrogen) in each of the following?

What are the bond angles around each atom?

c. -CH3

d. ⋅CH3

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Textbook Question

Which of the following molecules would you expect to have a dipole moment of zero?

g. BeCl2

h. BF3

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Textbook Question

Account for the difference in the shape and color of the potential maps for ammonia and the ammonium ion in Section 1.11.

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