a. Does SCl2 have a nonzero dipole moment?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the molecular geometry of SCl_2. Sulfur dichloride (SCl_2) has a bent shape due to the presence of lone pairs on the sulfur atom.
2. Determine the electronegativity of the atoms involved. Chlorine is more electronegative than sulfur, which means the S-Cl bonds are polar.
3. Consider the vector sum of the dipole moments. In a bent molecular geometry, the dipole moments do not cancel out completely.
4. Assess the symmetry of the molecule. Since SCl_2 is not symmetrical, the dipole moments do not cancel each other out.
5. Conclude that SCl_2 has a nonzero dipole moment due to its bent shape and polar bonds.

Key Concepts

Molecular Geometry

Molecular geometry refers to the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms within a molecule. The shape of a molecule is determined by the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs of electrons around the central atom, which influences the overall polarity. For SCl2, the bent shape due to the presence of lone pairs on sulfur is crucial for understanding its dipole moment.

Polarity and Dipole Moment

Polarity in molecules arises from differences in electronegativity between bonded atoms, leading to uneven distribution of electron density. A dipole moment is a vector quantity that measures the separation of positive and negative charges in a molecule. If a molecule has an asymmetrical shape and polar bonds, it will have a nonzero dipole moment, indicating that it is polar.

Electronegativity

Electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a chemical bond. In SCl2, sulfur has a lower electronegativity than chlorine, resulting in polar S-Cl bonds. The difference in electronegativity contributes to the overall dipole moment of the molecule, as the unequal sharing of electrons leads to a partial positive charge on sulfur and a partial negative charge on chlorine.