Is COF2 Polar or Nonpolar? (And Why?)

COF2 is a POLAR molecule.

But why? 

And how can you say that COF2 is a polar molecule?

Want to know the reason?
Let’s dive into it!

COF2 is a POLAR molecule because the C=O bond and C-F bonds present in the molecule are polar and it has asymmetric geometry which causes the partial positive (ẟ+) and partial negative (ẟ-) charge to appear on the molecule. These ẟ+ and ẟ- charges are responsible to make the entire COF2 molecule polar.

Let me explain this in detail with the help of COF2 lewis structure and its 3D geometry.

Why is COF2 a Polar molecule? (Explained in 3 Steps)

COF2 is a polar molecule because it has poles of partial positive charge (ẟ+) and partial negative charge (ẟ-) on it.

Let me explain this to you in 3 steps!

Step #1: Draw the lewis structure

Here is a skeleton of COF2 lewis structure and it contains one C=O bond and two C-F bonds.

(Note: If you want to know the steps of drawing the COF2 lewis dot structure, then visit this article: COF2 lewis structure, Or you can also watch this short 2 minute video).

So from the above diagram we have come to know that the COF2 molecule has one C=O bond and two C-F bonds.

Now in the next step we have to check whether these bonds are polar or nonpolar.

And we also have to check the molecular geometry of COF2.

Step #2: Check whether individual bonds are polar or nonpolar

The chemical bonds can be either nonpolar, polar or ionic depending on the difference of the electronegativity values (ΔEN) between the two atoms.

Have a look at the above image.

• If the electronegativity difference (ΔEN) is less than 0.4, then the bond is nonpolar covalent bond.
• If the electronegativity difference (ΔEN) is between 0.4 to 1.7, then the bond is polar covalent bond. 
• If the electronegativity difference (ΔEN) is greater than 1.7, then the bond is an ionic bond. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Now let’s come to the example of COF2 molecule. It has one C=O bond and two C-F bonds.

You can see the electronegativity values of Carbon (C), Oxygen (O) and Fluorine (F) atoms from the periodic table given below.

From the above image;

• Electronegativity of Carbon (C) = 2.55 ^[5]
• Electronegativity of Oxygen (O) = 3.44 ^[6]
• Electronegativity of Fluorine (F) = 3.98 ^[7]

Now let’s see the polarity of each bond.

For C=O bond;
The electronegativity difference (ΔEN) = 3.44 – 2.55 = 0.89
This value lies between 0.4 to 1.7, which indicates that the bond between Carbon (C) and Oxygen (O) is polar.
Hence, the C=O bond is a polar covalent bond.

For C-F bond;
The electronegativity difference (ΔEN) = 3.98 – 2.55 = 1.43
This value lies between 0.4 to 1.7, which indicates that the bond between Carbon (C) and Fluorine (F) is polar.
Hence, each C-F bond is a polar covalent bond.

You can see in the above image that because of large electronegativity difference of Carbon and Fluorine atoms, the partial positive charge (ẟ+) appears on the Carbon atom (C) and partial negative charge (ẟ-) appears on the Oxygen atom (O) as well as Fluorine atoms (F).

(Note: There is more negative charge on fluorine atom as compared to oxygen atoms, because fluorine is more electronegative than oxygen.)

But wait, we also have to look at the molecular geometry of COF2 to know whether it has a symmetric shape or not.

Step #3: Check whether the molecule is symmetric or not

Have a look at this 3D structure of COF2. The Carbon atom (C) is at the center and it is surrounded by 1 Oxygen atom (O) and 2 Fluorine atoms (F).

It has asymmetric geometry because of different bond lengths and difference in electronegativity of C=O bond and C-F bonds.

Because of this, there are positive and negative poles of charges on the overall molecule of COF2.

Hence, the COF2 molecule is a polar molecule.

I hope you have understood the reason behind the polar nature of COF2 molecule.

See the polarity of other molecules to make your concepts clear:
Is SeO3 Polar or Nonpolar?
Is Acetic acid (CH3COOH) Polar or Nonpolar?
Is H3O+ Polar or Nonpolar?
Is BBr3 Polar or Nonpolar?
Is BeH2 Polar or Nonpolar?