Name: Hybridisation in SF₆ Molecule
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 2 min 31 s
Description: Understand the bonding present in the case of sulphur hexafluoride. This video illustrates that the hybridisation present in the case of sulphur hexafluoride...

Question

What is covalent bond? Explain why the covalent bonds between oxygen and hydrogen atoms in water molecule are polar.

Accepted Answer

A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs, and the stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms, when they share electrons, is known as covalent bonding.

The electrons exchanged by the atoms spend more time closer to one nucleus than the other nucleus in a polar covalent bond. A slightly positive (+) or slightly negative (–) charge arises due to the uneven distribution of electrons between the various nuclei. Polar covalent bonds exist between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water. The mutual electrons spend more time near the oxygen nucleus, imparting a small negative charge to it, than they do near the hydrogen nuclei, imparting a small positive charge to these molecules. As atoms of different sizes exchange electrons, polar covalent bonds form more frequently.

What is covalent bond? Explain why the covalent bonds between oxygen and hydrogen atoms in water molecule are polar.

Important Questions on Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

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