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Polar molecule - Definition and Overview |
| Related Words: Acid, Acidity, Agent, Air, Alkali, Alkalinity, Anion, Antacid, Atom, Base, Biochemical, Bit, Cation, Chain, Chemical, Component |
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 A commonly-used example of a polar compound is water ( H2O). The electrons of water's hydrogen atoms are strongly attracted to the oxygen atom, and are actually closer to oyxgen's nucleus than to the hydrogen nuclei; thus, water has a relatively strong negative charge in the middle (red shade), and a positive charge at the ends (blue shade). In chemistry, a polar molecule is a molecule in which the centers of positive and negative charge distribution do not converge. These molecules are characterized by a dipole moment which measures their polarity.
Polar compounds are highly soluble in other polar compounds, and virtually insoluble in nonpolar compounds.
See Also
See also: dipole, nonpolar, hydrophilic, hydrophobic.
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