Is NH2Cl Polar or Nonpolar? (And Why?)

NH2Cl is a POLAR molecule.

But why? 

And how can you say that NH2Cl is a polar molecule?

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

NH2Cl is a POLAR molecule because the N-H 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 NH2Cl molecule polar.

Let me explain this in detail with the help of NH2Cl lewis structure and its 3D geometry.

Why is NH2Cl a Polar molecule? (Explained in 3 Steps)

NH2Cl 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 NH2Cl lewis structure and it contains two N-H bonds and one N-Cl bond.

(Note: If you want to know the steps of drawing the NH2Cl lewis dot structure, then visit this article: NH2Cl lewis structure, Or you can also watch this short 2 minute video).

So from the above diagram we have come to know that the NH2Cl molecule has two N-H bonds and one N-Cl bond.

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 NH2Cl.

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 NH2Cl molecule. It has two N-H bonds and one N-Cl bond.

You can see the electronegativity values of Nitrogen (N), Hydrogen (H) and Chlorine (Cl) atoms from the periodic table given below.

From the above image;

• Electronegativity of Nitrogen (N) = 3.04 ^[5]
• Electronegativity of Hydrogen (H) = 2.2 ^[6]
• Electronegativity of Chlorine (Cl) = 3.16 ^[7]

Now let’s see the polarity of each bond.

For N-H bond;
The electronegativity difference (ΔEN) = 3.04 – 2.2 = 0.84
This value lies between 0.4 to 1.7, which indicates that the bond between Nitrogen (N) and Hydrogen (H) is polar.
Hence, the N-H bond is a polar covalent bond.

For N-Cl bond;
The electronegativity difference (ΔEN) = 3.16 – 3.04 = 0.12
This value is less than 0.4, which indicates that the bond between Nitrogen (N) and Chlorine (Cl) is nonpolar.
Hence, the N-Cl bond is a nonpolar covalent bond.

You can see in the above image that because of higher electronegativity of Nitrogen atom, the partial positive charge (ẟ+) appears on the Hydrogen atoms (H) and partial negative charge (ẟ-) appears on the Nitrogen atom (N).

But wait, we also have to look at the molecular geometry of NH2Cl 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 NH2Cl. The Nitrogen atom (N) is at the center and it is surrounded by 2 Hydrogen atoms (H) and 1 Chlorine atom (Cl).

It also has one lone pair on the Nitrogen atom (N).

Due to the lone pair on the nitrogen atom (N), its molecular geometry becomes asymmetric.

Because of this, there are positive and negative poles of charges on the overall molecule of NH2Cl.

Hence, the NH2Cl molecule is a polar molecule.

I hope you have understood the reason behind the polar nature of NH2Cl molecule.

See the polarity of other molecules to make your concepts clear:
Is HNO3 Polar or Nonpolar?
Is IBr3 Polar or Nonpolar?
Is NH2- Polar or Nonpolar?
Is KrF2 Polar or Nonpolar?
Is BrCl5 Polar or Nonpolar?