Chemistry / Unit 6 Chem 1065 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Polar-Bonds-Therefore-Polar-Molecule Misconception
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The idea
Assuming a molecule is polar whenever it contains polar bonds ignores that molecular geometry can cancel those bond dipoles entirely.
In practice
A student predicting carbon dioxide is polar because its C=O bonds are polar contradicts the molecule's measured zero dipole moment.
Where people slip
Judging molecular polarity from bond polarity alone, skipping the geometry step, is the single most common error in this topic.
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