Module 4.

POLARITY OF BONDS
Polarity refers to the physical properties of compounds such as boiling point, melting points and their solubilities.
The polarity of bonds is caused due to the interaction of the bonds between molecules and atoms with different
electronegativities.
Polar Molecules
A polar molecule usually forms when the one end of the molecule is said to possess a number of positive charges
and whereas the opposite end of the molecule has negative charges. Thus, they end up creating an electrical pole.
In a molecule having a polar bond, the center of the negative charge will be on one side. Whereas the center of
positive charge will be on the different side. The entire molecule will be a polar molecule.

Non- Polar Molecules

A molecule which does not have the charges present at the end due to the reason that electrons are finely
distributed and those which symmetrically cancel out each other are the non- polar molecules. In a solution, we
cannot mix a polar molecule with the non-polar molecule. For example, consider water and oil. In this solution,
water is the polar molecule. On the other hand, oil behaves as a non-polar molecule. These two molecules do not
form a solution. This is because they cannot ever be mixed up.

Examples of Polar and Nonpolar Molecules

A molecule may be polar or Non-polar. A non-polar molecule has the structure of its atoms lined up in a way that
the orbital electrons in the outer region cancel out the electronegativity. In general, pyramid-shaped and V-shaped
molecules are said to be polar. Whereas the Linear molecules said to be non-polar in nature.
Water is said to be a polar molecule due to the difference in the electronegativities between the oxygen atom and
the hydrogen. Oxygen is a highly electronegative atom when compared to hydrogen. Fats, petrol, oil, gasoline are
said to be non-polar molecules as they do not dissolve in water and nonpolar are insoluble in water. Glucose is
another such example of a polar molecule. It is based on the arrangement of the oxygen and hydrogen atoms in
it.

Factors on which the Polarity of Bonds Depends

1) Relative Electronegativity of Participating Atoms
Since the bond polarity involves pulling of electrons towards itself, hence a more electronegative element will be
able to attract the electrons more towards itself. As a result, the electrons will definitely move towards the more
electronegative element. The amount of their shifting will depend upon the relative electronegativity of the
participating atoms.

2) The Spatial Arrangement of Various Bonds in the Atom

The shared pair of electrons also experience pulling force from the other bonded and non-bonded pair of electrons.
This results in different bond polarity between same participating atoms that are present in different molecules.
For e.g. Bond Polarity of O-H bond in a water molecule and acetic acid molecule is different. This is due to the
different spatial arrangement of various bonds in the molecule.

TYPE OF BOND using ELECTRONEGATIVITY DIFFERENCE

TYPE OF BOND ELECTRONEGATIVITY DIFFERENCE
Ionic > 2.0
Polar Covalent 0.5 to <2.0
Nonpolar Covalent <0.5

Solved Example for You

Given the electronegativity of C,H,O,N and S are 2.5, 2.1, 3.5, 3.0 and 2.5 respectively. Calculate the
electronegativity difference and tell if the molecules are polar or non-polar:

A) O – H B) S – H C) N – H D) C – H

Solution:
 O – H = 3.5 – 2.1 = 1.4 (Polar Covalent Bond)
 S – H = 3.5 – 2.5 = 1 (Polar Covalent Bond)
 N – H = 3.0 – 2.1 = 0.9 (Polar Covalent Bond)
 C – H = 2.5 – 2.1 = 0.4 (Non-Polar Covalent Bond)
Module 5. INTERMOLECULAR FORCES (IMF)

*Intermolecular Forces (IMF) = are forces of attraction that exists between molecules in a compound.
= they are collectively known as van der Waals forces, after the Dutch physicist Johannes Diderik
van der Waals who made an extensive investigation on the weak forces between molecules.

*Van der Waals Forces

Van der Waals forces are the interaction between uncharged atoms or molecules. The forces are used to explain
the universal attraction between bodies, the physical adsorption of gases, and the cohesion of condensed phases.

Types of Intermolecular Forces

1. Dipole-Dipole Interaction

Dipole-dipole interaction occurs whenever two polar molecules get near each other. The positively charged
portion of one molecule is attracted to the negatively charged portion of another molecule. Since many molecules
are polar, this is a common intermolecular force.

Examples: An example of dipole-dipole interaction is the interaction between two sulfur dioxide (SO2)
molecules, where the sulfur atom of one molecule is attracted to the oxygen atoms of the other molecule. Some
examples of dipoles are HCl, NH3 and CHCl3.

*Hydrogen Bond – is considered a specific example of a dipole-dipole interaction always involving hydrogen.
It is a strong type of dipole-dipole interaction existing between molecules containing hydrogen bonded to a highly
electronegative atom – nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine. It is the strongest of the van der Waals forces.

2. London Dispersion Forces

This interaction was first proposed by Fritz London, an American physicist, in 1930. The London dispersion force
is also known as LDF, London forces, dispersion forces, instantaneous dipole forces, induced dipole forces, or
the induced dipole-induced dipole force

The London dispersion force is the weakest of the intermolecular forces. This is the force between two nonpolar
molecules. The electrons of one molecule are attracted to the nucleus of the other molecule, while repelled by the
other molecule's electrons. A dipole is induced when the electron clouds of the molecules are distorted by the
attractive and repulsive electrostatic forces.

Example: An example of London dispersion force is the interaction between two methyl (-CH3) groups.

Example: Another example is the interaction between nitrogen gas (N2) and oxygen gas (O2) molecules. The
electrons of the atoms are not only attracted to their own atomic nucleus, but also to the protons in the nucleus of
the other atoms.

3. Ion-Dipole Interaction

Ion-dipole interaction occurs when an ion encounters a polar molecule. In this case, the charge of the ion
determines which part of the molecule attracts and which repels. A cation or positive ion would be attracted to
the negative part of a molecule and repelled by the positive part. An anion or negative ion would be attracted to
the positive part of a molecule and repelled by the negative part.

Example: An example of the ion-dipole interaction is the interaction between a Na+ ion and water (H2O) where
the sodium ion and oxygen atom are attracted to each other, while the sodium and hydrogen are repelled by
each other.