Asked by ruth

Which explanation accounts for why carbon monoxide is not a polar molecule?

Responses

The electronegativity differences between carbon and oxygen are not very large.

The electronegativity differences between carbon and oxygen are not very large.

Carbon and oxygen do not form ions.

Carbon and oxygen do not form ions.

There are no hydrogen atoms in the molecule.

There are no hydrogen atoms in the molecule.

Carbon is a metal, and oxygen is a nonmetal.

Carbon is a metal, and oxygen is a nonmetal.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Choose: "The electronegativity differences between carbon and oxygen are not very large."

Explanation: molecular polarity depends on differences in electronegativity and how charge is distributed. C and O differ in electronegativity by only about 0.9, so CO is only weakly polar. (Note: CO is not completely nonpolar — it has a small dipole moment ~0.11 D with the carbon end slightly negative — but it is far less polar than many heteronuclear bonds.)