Which phrase describes the distribution of charge and the polarity of a CCl4 molecule? (1) symmetrical and polar (2) symmetrical and nonpolar (3) asymmetrical and polar (4) asymmetrical and nonpolar
The distribution of charge and the polarity of a CCl4 molecule is (2) symmetrical and nonpolar.
If you draw the structure of the molecule, the carbon atom will be in the middle and the 4 Cl atoms surround it. The geometry is tetrahedral which makes the distribution of the charge symmetrical. Each Cl atom will have 3 lone pairs of electrons. The bond between C and Cl might be polar but since the geometry of all the Cl atoms is symmetrical, it renders the molecule nonpolar.
