is NICl2 polar or nonpolar?
The correct answer and explanation is :
Nickel(II) chloride (NiCl₂) is a nonpolar molecule.
To understand why NiCl₂ is nonpolar, let’s break it down with a detailed explanation:
- Molecular Geometry:
NiCl₂ has a linear molecular shape. Nickel (Ni) is the central atom, and the two chlorine (Cl) atoms are bonded to it. Since there are two atoms of chlorine symmetrically placed on opposite sides of the nickel atom, the geometry of the molecule is linear. - Electronegativity:
Chlorine is more electronegative than nickel, meaning that the chlorine atoms will pull electron density towards themselves, creating partial negative charges (δ-) on the chlorine atoms and a partial positive charge (δ+) on the nickel atom. - Dipole Moments:
In a polar molecule, there is a net dipole moment, which occurs when the individual bond dipoles do not cancel each other out. In NiCl₂, however, the two chlorine atoms are positioned symmetrically around the nickel atom. This symmetry causes the individual dipoles from each Ni-Cl bond to cancel each other out, resulting in no net dipole moment for the entire molecule. - Symmetry and Polarity:
The key factor here is the symmetry of the molecule. Even though the individual Ni-Cl bonds are polar due to the difference in electronegativity, the linear geometry ensures that the bond dipoles point in exactly opposite directions. As a result, they cancel each other out, and the overall molecule is nonpolar.
Therefore, despite the presence of polar bonds, NiCl₂ is a nonpolar molecule due to its linear geometry and the cancellation of the bond dipoles.