page_title: Chemical polarity
section_title: Nonpolar molecules
hierarchical_section_title: Chemical polarity / Polarity of molecules / Nonpolar molecules
caption_attribution_description: Ball-and-stick model of the methane molecule, CH4. Structural information (determined by microwave spectroscopy) from CRC Handbook, 88th edition. Image generated in Accelrys DS Visualizer. Українська: Кулестрижнева модель молекули метану
context_page_description: In chemistry, polarity is a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end.
  Polar molecules must contain polar bonds due to a difference in electronegativity between the bonded atoms. A polar molecule with two or more polar bonds must have a geometry which is asymmetric in at least one direction, so that the bond dipoles do not cancel each other.
  Polar molecules interact through dipole–dipole intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonds. Polarity underlies a number of physical properties including surface tension, solubility, and melting and boiling points.
context_section_description: A molecule may be nonpolar either when there is an equal sharing of electrons between the two atoms of a diatomic molecule or because of the symmetrical arrangement of polar bonds in a more complex molecule. For example, boron trifluoride (BF₃) has a trigonal planar arrangement of three polar bonds at 120°. This results in no overall dipole in the molecule.
  Carbon dioxide (CO₂) has two polar C=O bonds, but the geometry of CO₂ is linear so that the two bond dipole moments cancel and there is no net molecular dipole moment; the molecule is nonpolar.
  Examples of household nonpolar compounds include fats, oil, and petrol/gasoline. Most nonpolar molecules are water-insoluble (hydrophobic) at room temperature. Many nonpolar organic solvents, such as turpentine, are able to dissolve non-polar substances.
  In the methane molecule (CH₄) the four C−H bonds are arranged tetrahedrally around the carbon atom. Each bond has polarity (though not very strong).  The bonds are arranged symmetrically so there is no overall dipole in the molecule. The diatomic oxygen molecule (O₂) does not have polarity in the covalent bond because of equal electronegativity, hence there is no polarity in the molecule.
caption: In methane, the bonds are arranged symmetrically (in a tetrahedral arrangement) so there is no overall dipole.
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