MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 17 / 175
Is C2H3ClO polar or nonpolar?
Acetyl Chloride (C2H3ClO) is polar because its C=O and C–Cl bonds create an asymmetric acyl-chloride end.
Acetyl Chloride · trigonal planar at acyl C
The molecule in space
Drag to turn the molecule. Show angles to read the model geometry.
01 / MODEL RECORDPubChem 3D coordinates. Atom sizes and bond thickness are illustrative.How model data is used ↗
Why C2H3ClO is polar
Acetyl chloride is CH3–C(=O)–Cl. The planar carbonyl carbon bonds to oxygen, chlorine, and a methyl group, so its bond dipoles are not arranged as identical substituents.
What to notice
Compare acetyl chloride with acetaldehyde: replacing the aldehydic H with Cl changes the functional group, not just the spelling.
Common questions about C2H3ClO
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of C2H3ClO show?
The structure is CH3–C(=O)–Cl. Oxygen has two lone pairs and chlorine has three.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of C2H3ClO?
C2H3ClO has a trigonal planar at acyl C molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 110° and 108.5° and 110.2°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of C2H3ClO?
C2H3ClO has an approximate molar mass of 78.50 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.