Question

Molecules that contain polar covalent bonds but are nonpolar molecules include:

a) CO2
b) H2O
c) NH3
d) CH4

Answer 1

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has polar C=O bonds but is a nonpolar molecule due to its linear geometry allowing dipoles to cancel out.

Step-by-step explanation:

Molecules that contain polar covalent bonds but are nonpolar overall include carbon dioxide (CO2). Although CO2 has polar C=O bonds due to the difference in electronegativity between carbon and oxygen, the linear molecular geometry causes the dipole moments to cancel out, resulting in a nonpolar molecule. This cancellation occurs because the bond moments are pointed in opposite directions, making CO2 symmetrical. Other molecules such as water (H2O) and ammonia (NH3) are polar because their geometric shape does not allow for this cancellation, and methane (CH4) is nonpolar because the C-H bonds are considered to be nearly nonpolar and the molecule's tetrahedral symmetry also leads to a cancellation of any small dipoles.