What type of molecule is carbon dioxide (co2)?
filter
non-linear
planar
linear
For molecules with more than two atoms, the molecular geometry must also be taken into account when determining if the molecule is polar or nonpolar. The Figure below shows a comparison between carbon dioxide and water. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is a linear molecule. The oxygen atoms are more electronegative than the carbon atom, so there are two individual dipoles pointing outward from the C atom to each O atom. However, since the dipoles are of equal strength and are oriented in this way, they cancel each other out and the overall molecular polarity of CO 2 is zero.