MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 165 / 175
Is SO2Cl2 polar or nonpolar?
SO2Cl2 is polar because two S=O and two S–Cl bond types make its four directions unequal.
Sulfuryl Chloride · approximately tetrahedral at S
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 SO2Cl2 is polar
Sulfur has four ligand directions: two oxygens and two chlorines. A tetrahedral arrangement with two different kinds of attached atom does not have the four equal bond dipoles needed for cancellation.
What to notice
SO2Cl2 has a local tetrahedral sulfur center, yet it is not equivalent to SiCl4 or CF4, whose four terminal atoms all match.
Common questions about SO2Cl2
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of SO2Cl2 show?
The common expanded-octet sketch has two S=O bonds and two S–Cl bonds. Each O has two lone pairs; each Cl has three.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of SO2Cl2?
SO2Cl2 has a approximately tetrahedral at S molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 106.9° and 106.4° and 123.5°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of SO2Cl2?
SO2Cl2 has an approximate molar mass of 134.96 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.