Other Principles Governing Electrons - MCAT Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

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Electronegativity is an important concept in physical chemistry, and often used to help quantify the dipole moment of polar compounds. Polar compounds are different from those compounds that are purely nonpolar or purely ionic. An example can be seen by contrasting sodium chloride, NaCl, with an organic molecule, R-C-OH. The former is purely ionic, and the latter is polar covalent.

When comparing more than one polar covalent molecule, we use the dipole moment value to help us determine relative strength of polarity. Dipole moment, however, is dependent on the electronegativity of the atoms making up the bond. Electronegativity is a property inherent to the atom in question, whereas dipole moment is a property of the bond between them.

For example, oxygen has an electronegativity of 3.44, and hydrogen of 2.20. In other words, oxygen more strongly attracts electrons when in a bond with hydrogen. This leads to the O-H bond having a dipole moment.

When all the dipole moments of polar bonds in a molecule are summed, the molecular dipole moment results, as per the following equation.

Dipole moment = charge * separation distance

A scientist undertakes an effort to visualize the electron cloud that makes up the single O-H bond. You tell him that this will be complicated by the fact that the more you know about an electron's momentum, the less you know about its position, and vice versa. What principle are you describing?

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Answer

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle tells us exactly this. At the quantum level, the more you know about a body's momentum, the less you know about its position.

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