Question

Select the correct answer. Which statement correctly explains the polarity of the water molecule? A. The hydrogen end of the molecule has a partial negative charge and the oxygen end has a partial positive charge. B. The oxygen end of the molecule has a partial negative charge and the hydrogen end has a partial positive charge. C. Both ends of the molecule have a partial negative charge, which attracts the other water molecule towards itself.

Answer 1

Answer:

option B) The oxygen end of the molecule has a partial negative charge and the hydrogen end has a partial positive charge.

Justification:

The electronegativity of an element accounts for its relative ability to attract electrons.

Being oxygen more electronegative than hdyrogen (the electronegativity of oxygen is 3.44 while the electronegativity of the hydrogen is 2.20), the electron density will be displaced toward the oxygen, letting it with a partial negative charge and the hydrogen with a partial positive charge.

Finally, since the charge is not symmetrical distributed around a center of the molecule, the molecule ends being polar.