Question

Would you expect this molecule to be polar or nonpolar CH3OH

Answer 1

Answer:

CH3OH is a polar.

Explanation:

1. To begin with, methanol, H3C - OH is asymmetrical, so it could not be nonpolar (being 100% symmetrical in all directions means all dipole moments would cancel out completely).
2. The molecular geometry around oxygen in methanol is bent.
3. Oxygen is more electronegative than carbon or hydrogen, so the electron density is skewed towards oxygen.
4. Therefore, there is a net dipole with the negative end pointing through oxygen, and methanol is polar.