MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 137 / 175
Is NF3 polar or nonpolar?
NF3 is weakly polar because its three N–F bonds form a pyramidal arrangement and do not fully cancel.
Nitrogen Trifluoride · trigonal pyramidal
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 NF3 is polar
NF3 has a trigonal pyramidal shape with a lone pair on nitrogen. Fluorine (3.98) is so much more electronegative than nitrogen (3.04) that the F atoms pull electrons outward, opposing the inward lone-pair dipole.
What to notice
NF3 and NH3 are both pyramidal and polar, but their bond dipoles point differently relative to the lone-pair contribution. NF3's net dipole is smaller.
Common questions about NF3
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of NF3 show?
N makes three single N–F bonds and keeps one lone pair. Each F has three lone pairs.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of NF3?
NF3 has a trigonal pyramidal 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 NF3?
NF3 has an approximate molar mass of 71.00 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.