CBSE Class 11-science Answered

• Dipole moment (μ) is defined as the product of the distance of separation between the charges and the magnitude of charge.
• It is the measure of net molecular polarity.
• It is the magnitude of the charge Q at either end of the molecular dipole times the distance r between the charges.

 μ=Q×r

• It tells us about the charge separation in a molecule.
• The larger the difference in electronegativities of bonded atoms, the larger the dipole moment.
• For example, CO₂ molecule does not have dipole moment because it is symmetrical, hence there is no charge separation, while NaCl has the highest dipole moment because it has an ionic bond (i.e. highest charge separation).