Question #d5201
1 Answer
Aug 25, 2014
Some covalent bonds are considered polar if the electrons in the bond are not being shared equally.
For example, the two electrons shared between hydrogen and oxygen atoms in an O-H bond are not shared equally.
The reason for this can be better understood by examining the electronegativity of each element. Oxygen has an electronegativity value of 3.5 and hydrogen has a value of 2.1.
This means that electrons are more attracted to oxygen than they are two hydrogen.
The end result of this is that electrons will spend more time (remember that electrons are constantly moving) on the oxygen side of the bond than the hydrogen side of the bond. This makes the oxygen atom become partially negative while the hydrogen becomes partially positive.
