Polar Covalent

Compounds
Introduction to Covalent
Bonding:

Bonding between non-metals

consists of two electrons shared
between two atoms. In covalent
bonding, the two electrons
shared by the atoms are attracted
to the nucleus of both atoms.
Neither atom completely loses or
gains electrons as in ionic
bonding.

There are two types of covalent

bonding:

1. Non-polar bonding with an

equal sharing of electrons.

2. Polar bonding with an unequal

sharing of electrons. The number
of shared electrons depends on
the number of electrons needed
to complete the octet.
POLAR BONDING results
when two different non-metals
unequally share electrons
between them. One well known
exception to the identical atom
rule is the combination of carbon
and hydrogen in all organic
compounds.

The non-metal closer to fluorine

in the Periodic Table has a
greater tendency to keep its own
electron and also draw away the
other atom's electron. It is NOT
completely successful. As a
result only partial charges are
established. One atom becomes
partially positive since it has lost
control of its electron some of
the time. The other atom
becomes partially negative since
it gains electron some of the
time.
WATER:

Water, the most universal

compound on all of the earth, has
the property of being a polar
molecule. As a result of this
property, the physical and
chemical properties of the
compound are fairly unique.

Hydrogen Oxide or water forms

a polar covalent molecule. The
graphic on the left shows that
oxygen has 6 electrons in the
outer shell. Hydrogen has one
electron in its outer energy shell.
Since 8 electrons are needed for
an octet, they share the electrons.

However, oxygen gets an

unequal share of the two
electrons from both hydrogen
atoms. Again, the electrons are
still shared (not transferred as in
ionic bonding), the sharing is
unequal. The electrons spends
more of the time closer to
oxygen. As a result, the oxygen
acquires a "partial" negative
charge. At the same time, since
hydrogen loses the electron most
- but not all of the time, it
acquires a "partial" charge. The
partial charge is denoted with a
small Greek symbol for delta.
 Non polar Covalent
Compounds
Introduction to Covalent
Bonding:

Bonding between non-metals

consists of two electrons shared
between two atoms. In covalent
bonding, the two electrons
shared by the atoms are attracted
to the nucleus of both atoms.
Neither atom completely loses or
gains electrons as in ionic
bonding.

There are two types of covalent

bonding:

1. Non-polar bonding with an

equal sharing of electrons.

2. Polar bonding with an unequal

sharing of electrons. The number
of shared electrons depends on
the number of electrons needed
to complete the octet.
NON-POLAR
BONDING results when
two identical non-metals
equally share electrons between
them. One well known exception
to the identical atom rule is the
combination of carbon and
hydrogen in all organic
compounds.
IODINE:

Iodine forms a diatomic non-

polar covalent molecule. The
graphic on the top left shows that
iodine has 7 electrons in the
outer shell. Since 8 electrons are
 needed for an octet, two iodine
atoms EQUALLY share 2
electrons.
OXYGEN:

Molecules of oxygen, present in

about 20% concentration in air
are also a covalent molecules .
See the graphic on the left the
Lewis symbols.

There are 6 electrons in the outer

shell, therefore, 2 electrons are
needed to complete the octet.
The two oxygen atoms share a
total of four electrons in two
separate bonds, called double
bonds.

The two oxygen atoms equally

share the four electrons.

Covalent bonding

The second major type of atomic bonding occurs when atoms shareelectrons. As
opposed to ionic bonding in which a complete transfer of electrons occurs, covalent
bonding occurs when two (or more) elementsshare electrons. Covalent bonding
occurs because the atoms in thecompound have a similar tendency for electrons
(generally to gain electrons). This most commonly occurs when two nonmetals
bond together. Because both of the nonmetals will want to gain electrons, the
elements involved will share electrons in an effort to fill their valence shells. A good
example of a covalent bond is that which occurs between two hydrogen atoms.
Atoms of hydrogen (H) have one valence electron in their firstelectron shell. Since
the capacity of this shell is two electrons, each hydrogen atom will "want" to pick
up a second electron. In an effort to pick up a second electron, hydrogen atoms will
react with nearby hydrogen (H) atoms to form the compound H2. Because the
hydrogen compound is a combination of equally matched atoms, the atoms will
share each other's single electron, forming one covalent bond. In this way, both
atoms share the stability of a full valence shell.
Covalent bonding between hydrogen atoms
Concept simulation - Recreates covalent bonding between hydrogen atoms.
(Flash required)
Unlike ionic compounds, covalent molecules exist as true
molecules. Becauseelectrons are shared in covalent molecules, no full ionic charges
are formed. Thus covalent molecules are not strongly attracted to one another.
As a result, covalent molecules move about freely and tend to exist as liquids or
gases at room temperature.
Multiple Bonds: For every pair of electrons shared between two atoms, a
single covalent bond is formed. Some atoms can share multiple pairs of electrons,
forming multiple covalent bonds. For example, oxygen (which has
six valence electrons) needs two electrons to complete its valence shell. When two
oxygen atoms form the compound O2, they share two pairs of electrons, forming
two covalent bonds.
Lewis Dot Structures: Lewis dot structures are a shorthand to represent
the valence electrons of an atom. The structures are written as theelement symbol
surrounded by dots that represent the valence electrons. The Lewis structures for
the elements in the first two periods of the periodic table are shown below.

Lewis Dot Structures

Lewis structures can also be used to show bonding between atoms. The
bonding electrons are placed between the atoms and can be represented by a pair
of dots or a dash (each dash represents one pair of electrons, or one bond). Lewis
structures for H2 and O2 are shown below.

H2 :
H H -
H H
or
O2

Polar and nonpolar covalent bonding

There are, in fact, two subtypes of covalent bonds. The H2 molecule is a good
example of the first type of covalent bond, the nonpolar bond. Because
both atoms in the H2 molecule have an equal attraction (or affinity) for electrons,
the bonding electrons are equally shared by the two atoms, and a nonpolar
covalent bond is formed. Whenever two atoms of the same element bond together,
a nonpolar bond is formed.
A polar bond is formed when electrons are unequally shared between twoatoms.
Polar covalent bonding occurs because one atom has a stronger affinity for
electrons than the other (yet not enough to pull the electrons away completely and
form an ion). In a polar covalent bond, the bonding electrons will spend a greater
amount of time around the atom that has the stronger affinity for electrons. A good
example of a polar covalent bond is the hydrogen-oxygen bond in the
water molecule.
Water molecules contain two
hydrogen atoms(pictured in red) bonded to one
oxygen atom (blue). Oxygen, with six valence
electrons, needs two additional electrons to complete
its valence shell. Each hydrogen contains one
electron. Thus oxygen shares the electrons from two H2O: a water molecule
hydrogen atoms to complete its own valence shell,
and in return shares two of its own electrons with each hydrogen, completing the H
valence shells.
Polar covalent bonding simulated in water
The primary difference between the H-O bond in water and the H-H bond is the
degree of electron sharing. The large oxygen atom has a stronger affinity for
electrons than the small hydrogen atoms. Because oxygen has a stronger pull on
the bonding electrons, it preoccupies their time, and this leads to unequal sharing
and the formation of a polar covalent bond.

The dipole

Because the valence electrons in the water molecule spend more time around the
oxygen atom than the hydrogen atoms, the oxygen end of the molecule develops a
partial negative charge (because of the negative charge on the electrons). For the
same reason, the hydrogen end of the molecule develops a partial positive
charge. Ions are not formed; however, the molecule develops a partial electrical
charge across it called a dipole. The water dipole is represented by the arrow in the
pop-up animation (above) in which the head of the arrow points toward
the electron dense (negative) end of the dipole and the cross resides near the
electron poor (positive) end of the molecule.
 Polar Covalent Bonds

Description

The above figure is a diagramatic representation of a water

molecule having polar covalent bonds between the Oxygen
atom and the Hydrogen atoms.

What are polar covalent Bonds?

• Polar covalent bonds are a particular type of covalent bond.

• In a polar covalent bond, the electrons shared by the atoms spend a
greater amount of time, on the average, closer to the Oxygen nucleus
than the Hydrogen nucleus. This is because of the geometry of the
molecule and the great electronegativity difference between the
Hydrogen atom and the Oxygen atom.
• The result of this pattern of unequal electron association is a charge
separation in the molecule, where one part of the molecule, the Oxygen,
has a parital negative charge and the Hydrogens have a partial positive
charge.
• You should note this molecule is not an ion because there is no excess of
proton or electrons, but there is a simple charge separation in this
electrically neutral molecule.
• Water is not the only molecule that can have polor covalent bonds.
Examples of other molecules that have polar covalent bonds are Peptide
bonds and amines .
The biological consequence of polar covalent bonds is that these kinds of bonds
can lead to the formation of a weak bond called a hydrogen bond.

3c. Rules of the Atomic Playground: Polar

Covalent Bonds
Atoms, like preschoolers, don't always play fair. This means that sometimes in a
covalent bond the electrons are not shared equally between the two atoms. On
average, one of the atoms partially "pulls" the bonding electrons toward itself,
creating an unequal sharing of those bonding electrons. This is called
a POLAR COVALENT BOND. In order to determine whether a covalent bond is polar
or not, it's necessary to understand electronegativity.

Recall that electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to draw its bonding

electrons to itself. Each element has a numeric value corresponding to its
electronegativity. The values used here were devised by Linus Pauling, though
there are a few other scales of electronegativity values.

Electronegativity values

Fluorine was determined to be the most electronegative element and has an

electronegativity value of 4.0. Francium, the least electronegative element, has a
value of 0.7. It is important to remember a general trend in the periodic table:
electronegativity increases from left to right going across a period, and it
increases from the bottom to the top of a group. For example, in period 2,
nitrogen (group 5A) has an electronegativity value of 3.0, compared to 2.5 for
carbon (group 4A). In group 5A, phosphorous (period 3) has an electronegativity
value of 2.1, compared to 3.0 for nitrogen (period 2).

In an action that resembles toddlers tugging on a toy, a polar covalent bond

occurs when one atom with a higher electronegativity draws the bonding
electrons toward itself, pulling those electrons away from the atom with the lower
electronegativity value. This creates an unequal sharing of electrons known
as UNEQUAL CHARGE DISTRIBUTION, or charge separation. The charge separation
makes the bond polar because the more electronegative atom becomes partially
negatively charged and the atom with the lower
electronegativity becomes partially positively charged.

Consider H2 and HBr. In H2, the atoms have an equal

"pull" on the bonding electrons, making the
bond NONPOLAR. Bonded hydrogen atoms
showing equal charge
distribution
In HBr, however, Br has an electronegativity of 2.8,
compared to 2.1 for hydrogen. The Br atom pulls the bonding electrons toward
itself, creating a partial negative charge on itself and a partial positive charge on
the hydrogen atom.

The larger the absolute difference in electronegativity

between two atoms, the more polar that bond is. For
example, the electronegativity difference of a carbon-
oxygen bond is -1.0, the result of 2.5 (the electronegativity
Hydrogen and bromide bond value for carbon) minus 3.5 (the value for oxygen). The
with an unequal charge absolute value for the difference in electronegativity is the
distribution. value without the minus sign (1.0 for a carbon-oxygen
bond). For a carbon-chlorine bond, the difference in electronegativity is 0.5 (2.5 -
3.0 = -0.5). Thus, a carbon-oxygen bond is more polar (1.0) than a carbon-
chlorine bond (0.5).

Try It Out!

Question: Which of the following bonds is most polar?

N-H

O-H

C-Cl

P-Br

Given below is the difference in electronegativity of any two elements:

• 0.0-0.4 = nonpolar covalent bond
• 0.4-1.7 = polar covalent bond
• >1.7 = ionic bond
• For ex. Sodium and Chlorine (Na and Cl)
• Sodium's electronegativity = 0.93
• Chlorine's electronegativity = 3.16
• So, 3.16-0.93 = 2.23 which means NaCl bond is an ionic bond
Answer:
When differentiating between covalent (molecular) or ionic, the type of elements in the
compound decides which it is. Covalent bonds are between non-metals only. Ionic bonds are
between a metal and a non-metal.

Covalent bonds can either be polar or non-polar. You could determine this with the known
electronegativities of the elements. First you have to represent the molecule by any means
necessary (Lewis Dot Structure, lines, etc). This isn't nesessary for a compound with two
atoms. Once drawn, you will know which atoms are bonded to the other atoms in the
molecule. Then you look at the electronegativities for each element in one bond. If one atom's
element has a higher electronegativity value than the other, then the bond is polar. If they are
the same, then the bond is non-polar.

The reason a bond would be polar is because one atom has a higher electronegativity value,
which means that the element has more attraction to electrons than the other. If it is
attracting electrons more than the other, then the electrons are spending more time one one
side. The disparity of electron distribution causes one side to be slightly negative (δ-) and the
other to be slightly positive (δ+).