MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 66 / 175
Is CCl4 polar or nonpolar?
CCl4 is a nonpolar molecule because its perfect tetrahedral geometry causes all four polar C–Cl bond dipoles to cancel completely.
Carbon Tetrachloride · tetrahedral
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 CCl4 is nonpolar
Each C–Cl bond in carbon tetrachloride is polar since chlorine (3.16) is more electronegative than carbon (2.55).
What to notice
Carbon tetrachloride is a classic example of polar bonds canceling in three dimensions: all four chlorines occupy equivalent tetrahedral positions.
Common questions about CCl4
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of CCl4 show?
C forms four single C–Cl bonds. Each Cl carries three lone pairs; the central carbon has no lone pairs.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of CCl4?
CCl4 has a tetrahedral molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 109.4°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of CCl4?
CCl4 has an approximate molar mass of 153.81 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.