epäpolarisen

Epäpolarinen is a Finnish adjective meaning nonpolar. It is used to describe substances, typically molecules, that do not possess a permanent electric dipole moment. The word is formed from the prefix epä- meaning not and the noun polarinen, drawn from polar, with the standard Finnish adjective inflection.

In chemistry and physics, epäpolarinen describes molecules with a symmetric distribution of electrical charge, so the net dipole moment is zero. This can occur even when individual bonds are polar if the molecular geometry cancels dipole contributions. Common examples of epäpolarinen molekyyli include diatomic nitrogen (N2), diatomic oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and tetrachloromethane (CCl4). Epäpolarisiin aineisiin kuuluvat myös monet epäpolaariset liuottimet, kuten heksaani tai bentsiini.

Grammatically, epäpolarinen is an adjective that declines to match the noun it describes. The form epäpolarisen is the genitive singular and is used before a following noun in genitive, for example: epäpolarisen molekyylin ominaisuudet. Other related terms include polarinen (polar), dipolimomentti (dipole moment), and epäpolarisoitunut (unpolarized), which are used in broader contexts of molecular properties and radiation.

Epäpolarisuus is the broader concept of lacking polarity, relevant in contexts such as solvent choice, molecular interactions, and spectroscopic analysis. In Finnish scientific writing, epäpolarinen is the standard descriptor for nonpolar species in chemistry and physics.