MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 116 / 175
Is H3PO4 polar or nonpolar?
Phosphoric Acid (H3PO4) is polar because one terminal oxygen and three O–H groups give phosphorus inequivalent oxygen substituents.
Phosphoric Acid · approximately tetrahedral around P
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 H3PO4 is polar
Phosphorus is attached to four oxygens in a tetrahedral neighborhood. Three oxygens carry hydrogen and the fourth is represented as P=O in a common Lewis drawing, so the bond contributions are asymmetric.
What to notice
Phosphoric acid and phosphate are different species. The neutral acid has three O–H bonds; phosphate PO4³− has none.
Common questions about H3PO4
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of H3PO4 show?
A conventional neutral drawing is O=P(OH)3. The three hydrogens are bonded to oxygen, not phosphorus.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of H3PO4?
H3PO4 has a approximately tetrahedral around P molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 103.9° and 105.1° and 114.3°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of H3PO4?
H3PO4 has an approximate molar mass of 97.99 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.