Question

Which of the following statements could be true regarding polar molecules?

a) They have symmetrical charge distributions.
b) They always contain nonpolar bonds.
c) They have an uneven distribution of electron density.
d) They are always hydrophobic.

Answer 1

Polar molecules have an uneven distribution of electron density and are asymmetric. Nonpolar molecules are symmetric with no unshared electrons.

Step-by-step explanation:

Polar molecules have an uneven distribution of electron density. They are asymmetric, either containing lone pairs of electrons on a central atom or having atoms with different electronegativities bonded. For example, water is polar because it has lone pairs of electrons around the central oxygen atom. Methanol is also polar because the -OH side is different from the other three -H sides. On the other hand, nonpolar molecules are symmetric with no unshared electrons, such as oxygen and propane.