What is bcl3 polar or nonpolar?

Boron Trichloride (BCl3): Polar or Nonpolar?

BCl3 is a nonpolar molecule. Here's why:

  • Molecular Geometry: BCl3 has a trigonal planar geometry. All three chlorine atoms are arranged symmetrically around the central boron atom. This trigonal planar geometry arises because of the three regions of electron density around the central boron atom, resulting in a bond angle of 120°. You can read about it from https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/molecular%20geometry.
  • Bond Polarity: Each B-Cl bond is polar because chlorine is more electronegative than boron. This difference in electronegativity results in a dipole moment along each B-Cl bond. You can learn about the electronegativity concept from https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/electronegativity.
  • Cancellation of Dipole Moments: Due to the symmetrical trigonal planar geometry, the individual bond dipoles cancel each other out. The three B-Cl dipoles are oriented 120 degrees apart from each other, and their vector sum is zero. Therefore, the overall molecule has no net dipole moment and is considered nonpolar. This https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/dipole%20moment concept is very important to understand this subject.