Which of the following molecules has the highest dipole moment?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following molecules has the highest dipole moment?
CO2
H2O
CH4
NH3
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following molecules has the highest dipole moment?
Step 1: Understand what a dipole moment is. It is a measure of the separation of positive and negative charges in a molecule.
Step 2: Identify the molecules in the question: H2O (water), CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), and NH3 (ammonia).
Step 3: Look at the shape of each molecule. H2O is bent, CO2 is linear, CH4 is tetrahedral, and NH3 is trigonal pyramidal.
Step 4: Check the electronegativity differences. Oxygen (O) is more electronegative than hydrogen (H), which creates a dipole in H2O.
Step 5: Compare the dipole moments. H2O has a significant dipole due to its bent shape and electronegativity difference, while CO2's linear shape cancels out its dipoles.
Step 6: Conclude that H2O has the highest dipole moment among the given molecules.
