MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 74 / 175
Is CH3Cl polar or nonpolar?
CH3Cl is polar because the C–Cl bond breaks the equal-substituent symmetry of methane.
Chloromethane · 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 CH3Cl is polar
In chloromethane, one hydrogen of methane is replaced by a more electronegative chlorine (3.16 vs C at 2.55). This breaks the tetrahedral symmetry: the C–Cl dipole is much stronger than each C–H dipole, and the three C–H bonds cannot cancel it.
What to notice
Methane and chloromethane have similar tetrahedral carbon centers. The single chlorine substituent is what changes the overall polarity.
Common questions about CH3Cl
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of CH3Cl show?
C forms three C–H single bonds and one C–Cl single bond. Cl has three lone pairs.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of CH3Cl?
CH3Cl has a tetrahedral molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 109.1° and 109.9°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of CH3Cl?
CH3Cl has an approximate molar mass of 50.48 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.