Can a non-polar molecule have polar covalent bonds?

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Polar and Non-Polar Molecules:**
- A polar molecule has a net dipole moment due to the presence of polar bonds that do not cancel each other out. Non-polar molecules have bonds that are either non-polar or polar bonds that cancel each other out.

2. **Defining Polar Covalent Bonds:**
- A polar covalent bond occurs when there is a significant difference in electronegativity between the two atoms involved in the bond. This causes an unequal sharing of electrons, leading to a dipole moment.

3. **Example of a Non-Polar Molecule with Polar Bonds:**
- Consider carbon dioxide (CO₂). The molecule has two polar covalent bonds (C=O) because oxygen is more electronegative than carbon. This creates a dipole moment in each C=O bond.

4. **Analyzing the Geometry of CO₂:**
- The molecular geometry of CO₂ is linear. The two dipole moments from the C=O bonds are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction.

5. **Resultant Dipole Moment:**
- When you add the dipole moments (let's call them μ1 and μ2), they cancel each other out because they are equal and opposite. Therefore, the resultant dipole moment (μ_r) of the entire molecule is zero.

6. **Conclusion:**
- Thus, CO₂ is a non-polar molecule despite having polar covalent bonds. This illustrates that a non-polar molecule can indeed have polar covalent bonds.