138k views
5 votes
Why does water have partial negative and positive charges?

User Jonafato
by
8.6k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Step-by-step explanation:

Water is H20 which is 2 hydrogen atoms plus a oxygen atom

Oxygen (O²¯) is a anion, meaning it has a negative 2 charge (two extra electrons)

Hydrogen (H+) is a cation, it has one less electron in its atom

In water theres 2 H+ ions (2+ charge in total ) and 1 O²¯ ions (2- charge) , making the charges balance out and become neutral

Even though H20 is a neutral charged molecule, oxygen has higher electronegativity than hydrogen, making hydrogen comparatively positive to its oxygen atom

User Rupert
by
8.6k points

No related questions found

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.