MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 73 / 175
Is CH3CHO polar or nonpolar?
CH3CHO is polar because its carbonyl C=O bond dominates the molecule's charge distribution.
Acetaldehyde · tetrahedral at methyl C; trigonal planar at carbonyl 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 CH3CHO is polar
The aldehyde carbon is double-bonded to oxygen and single-bonded to H and the methyl group. Oxygen draws electron density through C=O, while the other substituents are not equivalent opposing oxygen bonds.
What to notice
One carbon in acetaldehyde is locally tetrahedral and the carbonyl carbon is locally planar. The polar C=O group determines the overall dipole.
Common questions about CH3CHO
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of CH3CHO show?
The connectivity is CH3–C(=O)–H. Oxygen has two lone pairs; the carbonyl carbon makes a double bond and two single bonds.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of CH3CHO?
CH3CHO has a tetrahedral at methyl C; trigonal planar at carbonyl C molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 109.1° and 110.1° and 109.4°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of CH3CHO?
CH3CHO has an approximate molar mass of 44.05 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.