MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 89 / 175
Is Chlorobenzene (C6H5Cl) polar or nonpolar?
Chlorobenzene (C6H5Cl) is polar because its one C–Cl substituent makes the aromatic ring's two ends unequal.
Chlorobenzene · planar aromatic ring; trigonal planar at ring 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 C6H5Cl is polar
Replacing one hydrogen of benzene with chlorine creates a C–Cl bond at a single ring position. The other five positions still carry hydrogen, so the bond dipoles are not arranged in a six-way equivalent pattern and chlorobenzene is polar.
What to notice
A ring can stay planar and still lose the symmetry that made benzene nonpolar. Chlorobenzene's single chlorine is the symmetry-breaking feature.
Common questions about C6H5Cl
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of C6H5Cl show?
The ring is C6H5–Cl, commonly drawn with three alternating C=C bonds. Chlorine makes one C–Cl bond and keeps three lone pairs.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of C6H5Cl?
C6H5Cl has a planar aromatic ring; trigonal planar at ring C molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 120°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of C6H5Cl?
C6H5Cl has an approximate molar mass of 112.56 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.