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The Polar-Bonds-Therefore-Polar-Molecule Misconception

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Assuming a molecule is polar whenever it contains polar bonds ignores that molecular geometry can cancel those bond dipoles entirely.

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A student predicting carbon dioxide is polar because its C=O bonds are polar contradicts the molecule's measured zero dipole moment.

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Judging molecular polarity from bond polarity alone, skipping the geometry step, is the single most common error in this topic.

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