MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 168 / 175
Is SOCl2 polar or nonpolar?
SOCl2 is polar because its S=O and S–Cl bonds occupy an asymmetric pyramidal arrangement.
Thionyl Chloride · 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 SOCl2 is polar
Thionyl chloride has a trigonal pyramidal geometry with sulfur bonded to one oxygen and two chlorines, plus a lone pair.
What to notice
The oxygen and two chlorines around sulfur are not equivalent substituents. Together with the lone pair, this prevents a symmetric dipole cancellation.
Common questions about SOCl2
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of SOCl2 show?
S bonds to two Cl atoms by single bonds and to O in a commonly drawn double bond, while keeping one lone pair. The lone pair helps make the shape pyramidal.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of SOCl2?
SOCl2 has a trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 99.4°. These angles come from the displayed model coordinates.
- 03
What is the molar mass of SOCl2?
SOCl2 has an approximate molar mass of 118.96 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.