Final answer:
SF6, or sulfur hexafluoride, is a nonpolar molecule as it is highly symmetrical with all S-F bonds cancelling each other's polarity, resulting in no net dipole moment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sulfur hexafluoride, or SF6, is a compound where the sulfur atom exhibits sp³ d² hybridization, forming six equivalent sp³ d² hybrid orbitals that each bond to a fluorine atom. In SF6, all the F-S bonds are identical and oriented towards the corners of an octahedron, resulting in a molecule of high symmetry.
Since there are neither lone pairs on the central atom nor any differences in bond polarity, SF6 is a nonpolar molecule. It has an expanded valence shell and is represented as AX₆, with all positions being chemically equivalent. This geometric layout results in cancellation of the bond dipoles, giving the molecule a zero dipole moment.
Therefore, unlike many lower symmetry molecules such as H₂S and NH₃, which may have nonzero dipole moments due to the arrangement of bond moments, SF6 remains nonpolar.