Nonpolar Bond
Definition and meaning of Nonpolar Bond in chemistry.
A nonpolar bond is a chemical connection where two atoms share their electrons perfectly equally. This equal sharing happens because both atoms have the same pull on the electrons. The electrical charge stays perfectly balanced across the entire bond.
In more detail
Electronegativity is the special word for how strongly an atom pulls on shared electrons. When two atoms have identical electronegativity scores, they pull with the exact same strength. The shared electrons end up spending an equal amount of time near each atom.
This creates a balanced electron cloud with no positive or negative ends. Chemists measure a bond's unequal charge by checking its dipole moment. Nonpolar bonds have a dipole moment of exactly zero.
These balanced bonds are very common in simple gas molecules. Molecules made of two identical atoms always form perfectly nonpolar bonds. Good examples include hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, and nitrogen gas.
You also see nearly nonpolar bonds between carbon and hydrogen atoms. Carbon and hydrogen have very similar but not perfectly identical electronegativity scores. Their pull is so close that chemists still treat their bonds as nonpolar.
A very common student mistake involves looking at the whole molecule instead of the bond. You must look at the specific connection between two atoms to check for polarity. Symmetrical molecules can sometimes hide polar bonds, but nonpolar bonds are always completely balanced.
Key facts
| Field | General Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Electronegativity difference | 0 to roughly 0.5 |
| Dipole moment | Zero or completely negligible |
| Electron sharing | Perfectly or nearly equal |
| Classic examples | H2, O2, N2, Cl2 |
| Common organic bond | Carbon-hydrogen (C-H) |
Molecular oxygen is a perfect example of a completely nonpolar bond. Two oxygen atoms connect together to form the oxygen gas we breathe. Both oxygen atoms have the exact same electronegativity score of 3.44. They pull on the shared electrons in the middle with the exact same strength. The electrons stay perfectly centered between the two oxygen atoms. This makes the entire oxygen molecule completely neutral and nonpolar.
Frequently asked questions
How is a nonpolar bond different from a polar bond?
Polar bonds happen when one atom pulls electrons much harder than the other. Nonpolar bonds happen when both atoms pull with the exact same force.
Are all bonds between identical atoms nonpolar?
Yes. Any bond between two identical atoms will always be perfectly nonpolar. Both atoms have the exact same pull on the shared electrons.
Why is a carbon-hydrogen bond considered nonpolar?
Carbon and hydrogen have slightly different electronegativity scores. However, the difference is so tiny that the electrons are still shared almost perfectly evenly.