Which of the following best describes the chemical nature of a water molecule?

• A. Water is a polar covalent molecule.
• B. Water is a nonpolar covalent molecule.
• C. Water is an ionic compound.
• D. Water is a metallic compound.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the types of chemical bonds and molecular polarity. Covalent bonds involve sharing electrons between atoms, ionic bonds involve transfer of electrons, and metallic bonds involve a 'sea' of delocalized electrons. Polarity depends on the difference in electronegativity between atoms and the molecular geometry.
2. Step 2: Analyze the water molecule (H\_2O). Oxygen and hydrogen atoms are connected by covalent bonds where electrons are shared, not transferred, so water is not ionic.
3. Step 3: Consider the electronegativity difference between oxygen and hydrogen. Oxygen is more electronegative, which causes the shared electrons to be pulled closer to oxygen, creating partial charges (δ- on oxygen and δ+ on hydrogens).
4. Step 4: Examine the molecular shape of water. It has a bent shape due to the two lone pairs on oxygen, which means the dipole moments do not cancel out, resulting in an overall polar molecule.
5. Step 5: Conclude that water is a polar covalent molecule because it has covalent bonds with unequal sharing of electrons and a molecular geometry that leads to a net dipole moment.