Why is the structure of a water molecule polar?

Answer 1

Since oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, you get something called a "dipole moment," making the oxygen slightly negative because of the unequal sharing of electrons. This makes the hydrogen slightly positive since the oxygen atom is more electronegative (I like to think of it as being "hungry for electrons"); the electrons spend more time orbiting the oxygen than they do the hydrogens. Therefore the oxygen is slightly (or delta) negative and the hydrogen, since the electrons spend less time in orbit around the hydrogen, is delta (slightly) positive since an electron has a negative charge.

O-H bonds are polar because O and H have different electronegativity values. The vector sum of the two bond dipoles is nonzero. (That is, they are not pointing in exact opposite directions.)

Answer 2

a water molecule is polar because the oxygen has a higher electronegativity (it has a stronger pull on the electrons) and since it is covalently bonded to the hydrogens they all share electrons, but this high electronegativity causes the electrons to spend more time around the oxygen then the hydrogens, giving the oxygen a slightly negative charge and the hydrogens a slightly positive charge. This is a polar molecule

Answer 3

The structure of a water molecule is polar because oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, causing uneven sharing of electrons in the covalent bonds. This results in a slight negative charge on the oxygen atom and a slight positive charge on the hydrogen atoms, creating a polar molecule with one side being more negative and the other more positive.

Answer 4

A water molecule is polar because there is an uneven distribution of electrons between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms.