Bond Polarity and Molecular Polarity Simulator
Electronegativity difference decides whether a bond is non-polar, polar or ionic. Choose any two elements to see the bonding pair shift and the δ+ / δ− ends. Then change the atoms on linear, bent, trigonal planar, pyramidal and tetrahedral molecules — CO₂, H₂O, NH₃, BF₃, CH₄ to CCl₄ — and watch the bond dipoles add up or cancel.
About this simulation
- What
- An interactive Chemistry simulation of Bond Polarity and Molecular Polarity Simulator.
- Who
- Designed for AP, IB, and A‑Level Chemistry students.
- How
- Runs in any modern browser — drag, adjust, and explore in real time.
Updated 2026-10-11
Key Concepts
Electronegativity
The power of an atom to attract the bonding pair in a covalent bond. It rises across a period and up a group; fluorine is the highest (3.98 on the Pauling scale).
Polar bonds
When the two atoms differ in electronegativity the bonding pair is pulled towards one, giving a δ− end and a δ+ end. A large difference (above about 1.7) usually means ionic bonding.
Polar molecules
A molecule is polar if its bond dipoles do not cancel. Symmetric shapes with identical atoms — CO₂, BF₃, CH₄, CCl₄ — are non-polar even though their bonds are polar.
Shape decides
H₂O is bent and NH₃ is pyramidal, so their bond dipoles add up to a net dipole; replacing one H of CH₄ with Cl breaks the symmetry and makes CH₃Cl polar.
What This Polarity Simulator Teaches
A covalent bond between two different atoms is rarely shared equally. The more electronegative atom pulls the bonding pair towards itself and gains a small negative charge, δ−, leaving the other atom δ+. The bigger the electronegativity difference, the more polar the bond, until at large differences the electron is effectively transferred and the bonding is ionic. This is AQA A-level 3.1.3.6 Bond polarity.
Whether a whole molecule is polar depends on its shape. Each polar bond has a dipole, and the molecule's dipole is their vector sum. In CO₂, BF₃, CH₄ and CCl₄ the identical bonds point symmetrically and cancel; in bent H₂O and pyramidal NH₃ they do not.
Use the Bond tab to compare any two elements against the electronegativity scale. In the Molecule tab, swap the atoms around a central atom — from CH₄ through CH₃Cl, CH₂Cl₂ and CHCl₃ to CCl₄ — and watch the net dipole appear, change and vanish again.
Frequently Asked Questions
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