MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 132 / 175
Is Methyl Acetate (C3H6O2) polar or nonpolar?
Methyl Acetate (C3H6O2) is polar because its ester has a carbonyl C=O bond and a second C–O–C oxygen link.
Methyl Acetate · trigonal planar at carbonyl C; bent at ester 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 C3H6O2 is polar
Methyl acetate has the structure CH3–C(=O)–O–CH3. The carbonyl oxygen and the single-bonded ester oxygen occupy different positions; their polar bonds do not form equal opposite vectors across the molecule.
What to notice
Methyl acetate and acetic acid share a carbonyl plus another oxygen, but the ester ends with –O–CH3 rather than –O–H. That changes connectivity and hydrogen bonding, not the presence of a net dipole.
Common questions about Methyl Acetate (C3H6O2)
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of Methyl Acetate (C3H6O2) show?
The connectivity is CH3–C(=O)–O–CH3. Each oxygen has two lone pairs; the carbonyl carbon has one double and two single bonds.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of Methyl Acetate (C3H6O2)?
Methyl Acetate (C3H6O2) has a trigonal planar at carbonyl C; bent at ester O molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 115.5° and 109.8° and 110.7°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of Methyl Acetate (C3H6O2)?
C3H6O2 has an approximate molar mass of 74.08 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.