Table of contents

Skip topic navigation

1. Intro to General Chemistry3h 48m
2. Atoms & Elements4h 16m
3. Chemical Reactions4h 10m
4. BONUS: Lab Techniques and Procedures1h 38m
5. BONUS: Mathematical Operations and Functions48m
6. Chemical Quantities & Aqueous Reactions3h 53m
7. Gases3h 49m
8. Thermochemistry2h 37m
9. Quantum Mechanics2h 58m
10. Periodic Properties of the Elements3h 9m
11. Bonding & Molecular Structure3h 29m
12. Molecular Shapes & Valence Bond Theory1h 57m
13. Liquids, Solids & Intermolecular Forces2h 23m
14. Solutions3h 1m
15. Chemical Kinetics2h 53m
16. Chemical Equilibrium2h 29m
17. Acid and Base Equilibrium5h 1m
18. Aqueous Equilibrium4h 47m
19. Chemical Thermodynamics1h 50m
20. Electrochemistry2h 42m
21. Nuclear Chemistry2h 36m
22. Organic Chemistry5h 7m
23. Chemistry of the Nonmetals2h 39m
24. Transition Metals and Coordination Compounds3h 16m

13. Liquids, Solids & Intermolecular Forces

Molecular Polarity

General Chemistry

13. Liquids, Solids & Intermolecular Forces

Molecular Polarity

Previous problemNext problem

Struggling with General Chemistry?

Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video

Multiple Choice

Why does the presence of lone pair electrons on the oxygen atom contribute to the polarity of a water (H_2O) molecule?

Lone pairs on oxygen create a bent molecular geometry, resulting in an uneven distribution of charge.

Lone pairs on oxygen make the molecule linear, which increases its polarity.

Lone pairs on oxygen increase the mass of the molecule, making it polar.

Lone pairs on oxygen cause the hydrogen atoms to lose their electrons completely.

Previous problemNext problem

Verified step by step guidance

Understand that polarity in molecules arises from an uneven distribution of electron density, which creates partial positive and negative charges within the molecule.

Recognize that water (H\_2O) has an oxygen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms, and oxygen also has two lone pairs of electrons that are not involved in bonding.

Know that lone pairs of electrons occupy space and repel bonding pairs, which affects the shape of the molecule according to the VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory.

Apply VSEPR theory to see that the two lone pairs on oxygen push the hydrogen atoms closer together, resulting in a bent (angular) molecular geometry rather than a linear one.

Conclude that this bent shape causes an uneven distribution of charge because the dipole moments of the O-H bonds do not cancel out, making the water molecule polar.