Question

Draw the electron dot structure of the covalent compound methane (non polar) and HCl (polar) and give two difference between them.

Differentiate between the covalent compounds methane and HCl.

Answer 1

Methane (non polar)	HCl (polar)
Covalent compounds are non polar when shared pairs of electron(s) are equally distributed between the two atoms.	Covalent compounds are said to be polar when the shared pair of electrons are not at equal distance between the two atoms.
No charge separation takes place. The covalent molecule is symmetrical and electrically neutral.	Charge separation takes place. The atom which attracts electrons more strongly develops a slight negative charge, while the other creates a little positive charge.
\[\begin{array}{cc} \ce{H}\\ \ce{H:\underset{..}{\overset{..}{C}} :H}\\ \ce{H} \end{array}\]	\[\ce{H:\underset{..}{\overset{..}{Cl}}}\]