Question

evaluate your friend says that nonpolar molecules cannot contain polar bonds. do you agree? support your answer.

Explanation:

The question is about molecular polarity and bond polarity, which falls under Chemistry (a subfield of Natural Science). A nonpolar molecule can contain polar bonds if the polar bonds are symmetrically arranged, causing their dipole moments to cancel out. For example, in $\ce{CO_2}$, the $\ce{C=O}$ bonds are polar, but the linear geometry makes the molecule nonpolar as the dipoles of the two bonds cancel each other. So, the friend's statement is incorrect.

Answer:

I do not agree. A nonpolar molecule can contain polar bonds. For example, in $\ce{CO_2}$, the $\ce{C=O}$ bonds are polar (due to electronegativity difference between C and O), but the linear molecular geometry causes the dipole moments of the two $\ce{C=O}$ bonds to cancel each other out, resulting in a nonpolar molecule. The symmetry of the molecule (like in linear, trigonal planar, or tetrahedral geometries with symmetrically arranged polar bonds) can lead to the overall dipole moment of the molecule being zero, even when individual bonds are polar.