What does the unequal sharing of electrons within a water molecule make the water molecule?

1 Answer
anor277
May 27, 2018

It makes it a #"polar molecule"#....

Explanation:

Polarity is charge separation. When oxygen binds to two hydrogen atoms, the oxygen atom polarizes electron density towards itself to give a dipolar molecule, the which we could represent as...

#stackrel(""^+delta)H-stackrel(""^-delta)O-stackrel(""^+delta)H#

Oxygen is quite an electronegative species, and its compounds its enhanced nuclear charge polarizes electron density towards itself to engender such charge. On this basis, water is competent to solvate ions (i.e. charge separate the ions), and the molecular dipoles interact to give unusually LOW volatility. #HF#, and #NH_3#, the which also feature polar heteroatoms, exhibit similar properties to water....

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