Okuzeka
Chemistry vocabulary · Chemical Bonding and Structure

Polar

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

/ˈpəʊlə/adjectiveCommon term

In chemistry, polar means: Describes a bond or molecule in which electrons are shared unevenly, so that one end is slightly negative and the other slightly positive. Water is a typical example.

In Turkish: polar, kutuplu

How it is used

Used to predict solubility, boiling points and behavior in chromatography. The opposite is 'nonpolar' (also 'non-polar'). Water, methanol and DMSO are polar solvents; hexane and toluene are nonpolar.

Example sentences

  1. The more polar compound moves more slowly up the silica plate.

  2. Carbon dioxide has polar bonds, but the molecule itself is nonpolar.

Common collocations

  • polar molecule
  • polar solvent
  • polar bond
  • highly polar
  • nonpolar
  • electronegativityA measure of how strongly an atom pulls shared electrons toward itself in a bond. Fluorine has the highest value, about 4.0 on the Pauling scale.
  • moleculeA group of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds. It is the smallest particle of a substance such as water or oxygen gas that still has that substance's chemical properties.
  • solventThe substance, usually a liquid, that dissolves another substance to form a solution. Water is the most common one; ethanol, acetone and hexane are widely used organic ones.
  • solubilityThe maximum amount of a substance that can dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a certain temperature, often given in grams per 100 g of water.
  • intermolecular forcesAttractions between separate molecules, such as hydrogen bonds, dipole–dipole forces and London dispersion forces. They are much weaker than the bonds inside molecules.

More terms: Chemical Bonding and Structure

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: