Water is :
(a) more polar than H₂S
(b) more or less identical in polarity with H₂S
(c) less polar than H₂S
(d) None of these
Answers
Answer:
more polar than H2S due to more electro negative difference
Water is more polar than H₂S. Hence, option (a) is correct.
• Greater the difference in electronegativity of two elements in a compound, greater the polarity of the compound.
• In H₂O and H₂S, hydrogen is the common element. Therefore, the difference in polarity is due to the difference in electronegativity of the two non-metals, oxygen and sulphur.
• Oxygen is more electronegative than sulphur.
• This is because oxygen has 8 electrons, whereas, sulphur has 16 electrons. Therefore, the shielding effect is poorer in oxygen as compared to sulphur and the nuclear pull on the valence electrons of oxygen is more.
• Due to this greater nuclear pull, oxygen can easily accept electrons and hence, has a greater electronegativity than sulphur.
• Therefore, the electronegativity difference between hydrogen and oxygen is greater than that between hydrogen and sulphur. Therefore, H₂O is more polar than H₂S.