The unequal sharing of electrons within a water molecule makes the water molecule _____.

• A. nonpolar
• B. hydrophobic
• C. ionic
• D. polar

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of electronegativity, which is the tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself in a chemical bond.
2. Recognize that in a water molecule (H\_2O), oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, causing the shared electrons to be pulled closer to the oxygen atom.
3. This unequal sharing of electrons creates a partial negative charge near the oxygen atom and partial positive charges near the hydrogen atoms, resulting in a dipole moment.
4. A molecule with a dipole moment, where there is an uneven distribution of electron density, is called a polar molecule.
5. Therefore, the unequal sharing of electrons within a water molecule makes it polar, not nonpolar, hydrophobic, or ionic.