Determine if carbon dioxide, CO 2 , is polar or nonpolar.

Determine if carbon dioxide, c l 2, was polar or nonpolar. So carbon here is in group 4 a, oxygen is in group 6a and there's 2 of them. So we have 16 total valence electrons. The less electronegative carbon goes in the center, oxygen is the surrounding elements. We place enough electrons around the oxygen so they fulfill the octet rule. Doing this uses up all 16 of our valence electrons. So we've run into an issue though. Carbon doesn't have 8 electrons around it. It's not fulfilling the octet rule. Now remember, carbon dioxide, in order to carbon for carbon to have 4 4 bonds around it and therefore 8 electrons, is So we're gonna have to take a lone pair from each oxygen and use them to make double bonds. So this is carbon dioxide. Alright. So now is this a perfect shape? For it to be a perfect shape, the central element must have no lone pairs. So it has no lone pairs, that's good. And the surrounding elements must be the same. Both are oxygens. So carbon dioxide is a perfect shape and therefore the compound or molecule is going to be nonpolar.

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1. Matter and Measurements4h 31m
2. Atoms and the Periodic Table5h 23m
3. Ionic Compounds2h 18m
4. Molecular Compounds2h 18m
5. Classification & Balancing of Chemical Reactions3h 17m
6. Chemical Reactions & Quantities2h 27m
7. Energy, Rate and Equilibrium3h 46m
8. Gases, Liquids and Solids3h 25m
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10. Acids and Bases3h 29m
11. Nuclear Chemistry56m
BONUS: Lab Techniques and Procedures1h 38m
BONUS: Mathematical Operations and Functions47m
12. Introduction to Organic Chemistry1h 34m
13. Alkenes, Alkynes, and Aromatic Compounds2h 12m
14. Compounds with Oxygen or Sulfur1h 6m
15. Aldehydes and Ketones1h 1m
16. Carboxylic Acids and Their Derivatives1h 11m
17. Amines39m
18. Amino Acids and Proteins1h 51m
19. Enzymes1h 37m
20. Carbohydrates1h 41m
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25. Protein and Amino Acid Metabolism1h 37m
26. Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis2h 54m

4. Molecular Compounds

Molecular Polarity (Simplified)

GOB Chemistry

4. Molecular Compounds

Molecular Polarity (Simplified)

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Multiple Choice

Determine if carbon dioxide, CO₂, is polar or nonpolar.

polar

nonpolar

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Verified step by step guidance

Identify the molecular geometry of CO2. Carbon dioxide has a linear shape because it consists of a central carbon atom double-bonded to two oxygen atoms.

Consider the electronegativity of the atoms involved. Oxygen is more electronegative than carbon, which means the C=O bonds are polar.

Analyze the symmetry of the molecule. In a linear molecule like CO2, the polarities of the two C=O bonds are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction.

Evaluate the net dipole moment. Due to the linear and symmetrical shape of CO2, the dipole moments of the two C=O bonds cancel each other out.

Conclude the polarity of the molecule. Since the dipole moments cancel out, CO2 has no net dipole moment and is therefore nonpolar.