Is the bond between sulfur and oxygen in SO2 polar or non-polar? How does the geometry affect the polarity of the molecule?

In the molecule sulfur dioxide (SO2), the bond between sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) is considered polar. This is due to the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms; oxygen is more electronegative than sulfur, which causes the electrons in the bond to be drawn closer to the oxygen atom. As a result, the bond has a dipole moment, meaning that there is a partial positive charge on the sulfur end and a partial negative charge on the oxygen end.

When we look at the geometry of SO2, it has a bent shape due to the presence of a lone pair of electrons on the sulfur atom. This bent geometry prevents the dipole moments from canceling each other out, which means that the molecule as a whole is polar. The asymmetric distribution of charges in the molecule leads to an overall dipole moment, confirming that SO2 is a polar molecule.

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