Chemical polarity

In <a href="/facts/Chemistry/SrNqkGVm">chemistry</a>, polarity is a separation of <a href="/facts/Electric_charge/xxsBfmlB">electric charge</a> leading to a <a href="/facts/Molecule/N9ljSfFq">molecule</a> or its <a href="/facts/Chemical_group/GXkSPsjM">chemical groups</a> having an <a href="/facts/Electric_dipole_moment/ou2LDUVg">electric dipole moment</a>, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end.
Polar molecules must contain one or more polar <a href="/facts/Chemical_bond/ArNUMnIB">bonds</a> due to a difference in <a href="/facts/Electronegativity/H7Vq7Uah">electronegativity</a> between the bonded atoms. Molecules containing polar bonds have no molecular polarity if the <a href="/facts/Bond_dipole_moment/vC3JYlJ4">bond dipoles</a> cancel each other out by symmetry.
Polar molecules interact through dipole-dipole <a href="/facts/Intermolecular_force/xIcFMvL7">intermolecular forces</a> and <a href="/facts/Hydrogen_bonds/85V86IIg">hydrogen bonds</a>. Polarity underlies a number of physical properties including <a href="/facts/Surface_tension/EuluYmSM">surface tension</a>, <a href="/facts/Solubility/kLE9h3Jb">solubility</a>, and melting and boiling points.

Chemical polarity open-in-new

Chemical polarity