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Describe the molecular dipole of OCl2.
Describe the molecular dipole of OCl2. a) Measurable and directed toward chlorine.
b) Measurable and directed toward oxygen.
c) The molecular dipole is zero.
d) Non-polar and symmetrical.
Final answer:The molecular dipole of OCl2 is measurable and directed toward the oxygen atom, as oxygen is more electronegative than chlorine, and the molecule has a bent geometry that does not allow for the dipoles of the two O-Cl bonds to cancel out. Therefore, the correct answer is : (b).Explanation:The molecular dipole of OCl2, also known as oxygen dichloride, can be described based on electronegativity differences and molecular geometry. Oxygen is more electronegative than chlorine, with electronegativity values of around 3.44 for oxygen and 3.16 for chlorine. This difference suggests that each O-Cl bond is polar. However, OCl2 has abent molecular geometrysimilar to water (H2O), resulting in the bond dipoles not cancelling out as they would in a linear structure. This asymmetry leads to a net molecular dipole directed toward the oxygen atom, because the vector sum of the individual bond dipoles points towards the more electronegative atom.If we look at substances like HCl, we find that the dipole moment is a product of the charge distribution and the distance between the atoms. The calculation of the dipole moment considers both magnitude and direction, showing that molecules like HCl have dipoles because of their polar covalent bonds and asymmetry in electron distribution. Similarly, although to a lesser extent due to the smaller electronegativity difference, OCl2 also exhibits a measurable dipole that is directed toward the more electronegative oxygen atom....