Covalent vs Polar Covalent

One of the things we always ask in some of our minor subjects in college was, do we really need this? Or, can we apply this in real life or with our degree? During high school, we also ask the same, can we apply algebra in paying our bills? Can we apply trigonometry in going to the mall? Simple whining is a part of life, and we humans are fond of it.

How about chemistry and its concepts? For some of it, we can recognize it in everyday living. But for some terms such as covalent and polar covalent, we might think, how can it affect us? Let us just tackle the differences in these words and see if it has an application to real life or if it is just a prerequisite to learn among students and chemists.

Structural configuration involves knowing whether electrons are arranged in a similar fashion or manner which can be ionic or covalent bonds. Ionic bonds are the type of bonds that occur when electrons are being transferred. These atoms are being transferred in-between the atoms. Covalent bonds, on the other hand, occur when electrons are shared. Again, it is shared in-between these atoms.

Organic molecules are said to be always covalent bonds such as carbon, oxide, bromine, and so on and so forth. Once you have determined if the electron sharing is covalent or ionic, the next step is to know whether it is polar covalent or non-polar covalent. For example, by already classifying it is a covalent bond, one should know that covalent bonds are only either polar or non-polar. Ionic bonds don’t have further classifications unlike covalent bonds.

It is a polar covalent bond when the electron distribution is not symmetrical. However, it is a non-polar covalent bond if the distribution of the charge is symmetrical. One can also determine if it’s a polar on non-polar covalent bond through the electronegativity of the atom. Higher electronegativity values of an element mean that the bond is polar, and same electronegativity with the element means it’s non-polar.

Summary:

1.Electron bonds can be classified either ionic or covalent bonds.
2.Ionic bonds transfer atoms among electrons while covalent bonds share atoms in-between the electrons.
3.Covalent bonds are classified further into polar or non-polar in which polar covalent is if the distribution is asymetrical and vice versa or higher electronegativity equals polar covalent and vice versa.

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