Question

H2O consists of polar molecules. CO2 consists of nonpolar molecules. How do chemists explain this difference?

a CO2 does not have polar bonds.


b These compounds have different shapes.


c Oxygen has a different attraction for electrons in H2O than in CO2

Answer 1

These compounds have different shapes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Two things determine whether a molecule is polar or no polar. The size and shape of the molecule.

Answer 2

c. Oxygen has a different attraction for electrons in H2O than in CO2

the covalent bond between Hydrogen-Oxygen and Carbon-Oxygen is different because the difference of electronegativity (the tendency of an atom to attract a shared pair of electrons towards itself) between Hydrogen and Oxygen is a lot higher than the difference of electronegativity between Carbon and Oxygen. This difference in electronegativity results in separation of partial electric charge creating polar bonds and giving the molecule a polarity.