MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 92 / 175
Is Cl2O polar or nonpolar?
Cl2O is polar because the two O–Cl bonds meet at a bent oxygen center rather than opposing each other.
Dichlorine Monoxide · bent
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 Cl2O is polar
Oxygen makes two O–Cl bonds and has two lone pairs, producing a bent molecular shape. The two chlorine atoms are identical, but the bond vectors do not point directly opposite each other, so their contributions do not cancel.
What to notice
Cl2O resembles H2O in having two bonds and two central lone pairs. Different terminal atoms change the bond polarity, but not the bent-shape reasoning.
Common questions about Cl2O
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of Cl2O show?
The connectivity is Cl–O–Cl. Oxygen has two lone pairs, and each chlorine has three.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of Cl2O?
Cl2O has a bent molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 110.4°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of Cl2O?
Cl2O has an approximate molar mass of 86.90 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.