MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 82 / 175
Is CH3OCH3 polar or nonpolar?
CH3OCH3 is polar because the two C–O bond dipoles meet at a bent oxygen center instead of opposing each other.
Dimethyl Ether · tetrahedral at each C; bent at O
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 CH3OCH3 is polar
Oxygen lies between two methyl groups and keeps two lone pairs. The C–O bonds are polar, and their bent arrangement leaves a net component rather than placing the two bond dipoles directly opposite each other.
What to notice
Dimethyl ether and ethanol share the formula C2H6O, but their connectivity differs. The formula alone does not identify which structure the model shows.
Common questions about CH3OCH3
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of CH3OCH3 show?
The connectivity is CH3–O–CH3. Oxygen makes two single bonds and has two lone pairs; each carbon makes four single bonds.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of CH3OCH3?
CH3OCH3 has a tetrahedral at each C; bent at O molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 111.5° and 110.5° and 108.4°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of CH3OCH3?
CH3OCH3 has an approximate molar mass of 46.07 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.