Question
Question: Does \( C{{H}_{4}} \) have a dipole?...
Does CH4 have a dipole?
Solution
Methane is a chemical molecule with the formula CH4 that is found in nature (one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen). It is the simplest alkane and a group-14 hydride, and it is the primary component of natural gas. Because of its relative abundance on Earth, methane is a cost-effective fuel, however collecting and storing it is difficult due to its gaseous form under typical temperature and pressure conditions.
Complete answer:
A dipole moment occurs when there is a charge separation in a system. As a result, they can occur in both ionic and covalent connections. The difference in electronegativity between two chemically linked atoms causes dipole moments. The polarity of a chemical bond between two atoms in a molecule is measured by the bond dipole moment. It uses the notion of electric dipole moment, which is a measure of how far negative and positive charges are separated in a system. Because it has both magnitude and direction, the bond dipole moment is a vector quantity.
The letters δ+ and δ− denote the two electric charges that originate in a molecule, which are equal in magnitude but have opposing signs. They are separated by a predetermined distance, often represented by the letter ‘d.'
Methane CH4 has a dipole moment of zero. The CH4 is tetrahedral in shape, and as a result of this structure, each bond pair is at an equal distance apart, i.e. they are symmetrically organised, and therefore each dipole moment of the bond is balanced. CH4 is a nonpolar, symmetrical chemical. Due to an equal distribution of positive and negative charge, nonpolar molecules have a δ=0 value.
Note:
The dipole moment is symbolised in chemistry by a minor modification of the arrow sign. On the positive centre, there is a cross, and on the negative centre, there is an arrowhead. This arrow represents the molecule's change in electron density. In the case of a polyatomic molecule, the dipole moment is the vector sum of all bond dipoles present in the molecule.