epäpolaarisina

Epäpolaarisina is a Finnish term that translates to "nonpolar" in English. In chemistry, it refers to molecules or substances that lack a net electric dipole moment. This lack of polarity arises from the symmetrical distribution of electron density within the molecule.

Nonpolar molecules typically form when two atoms with identical or very similar electronegativities bond together, such as in diatomic elements like oxygen (O2) or nitrogen (N2). Even in molecules with more than two atoms, if the arrangement of polar bonds is symmetrical, the individual bond dipoles cancel each other out, resulting in a nonpolar molecule. Examples include carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).

The properties of nonpolar substances are distinct from those of polar substances. Nonpolar molecules tend to have lower boiling and melting points because the intermolecular forces between them (primarily London dispersion forces) are weaker than the dipole-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonds found in polar substances. Consequently, nonpolar substances are generally insoluble in polar solvents like water but are soluble in other nonpolar solvents, a principle often summarized by the adage "like dissolves like." This characteristic makes them useful in applications such as dry cleaning solvents and as lubricants.