MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 150 / 175
Is PCl3 polar or nonpolar?
PCl3 is polar because the lone pair on phosphorus leaves three P–Cl bond dipoles in a pyramid.
Phosphorus Trichloride · 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 PCl3 is polar
Phosphorus forms three bonds to chlorine and retains one lone pair. The lone pair keeps the three chlorine atoms out of a flat trigonal arrangement, so the polar P–Cl bonds do not cancel.
What to notice
PCl3 contrasts with trigonal planar BCl3. Both have three chlorines, but phosphorus has a lone pair and a pyramidal molecular shape.
Common questions about PCl3
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of PCl3 show?
Phosphorus makes three P–Cl single bonds and keeps one lone pair. Each chlorine has three lone pairs.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of PCl3?
PCl3 has a trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 98.1°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of PCl3?
PCl3 has an approximate molar mass of 137.32 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.