waternonpolar

Waternonpolar is a nonstandard, typically informal term used to describe either a hypothetical nonpolar state of water or a label applied in discussions about water's interaction with nonpolar solutes. It is not a recognized chemical classification. In standard chemistry, water is a polar molecule with a bent geometry, an O–H bond angle about 104.5 degrees, and a dipole moment of roughly 1.85 Debye. Its high dielectric constant (about 80 at room temperature) and extensive hydrogen-bond network account for many of water’s distinctive properties. Under ordinary conditions there is no stable nonpolar phase of pure water, since altering its polarity would require breaking or fundamentally changing the O–H bonds or replacing the molecule’s identity.

In scientific literature, discussions relevant to something akin to waternonpolar usually refer to nonpolar solvation phenomena in water. The hydrophobic effect describes how nonpolar solutes tend to minimize contact with water, leading to structuring of surrounding water molecules and to phenomena such as micelle formation in solutions with amphiphilic molecules. Some speculative or fictional contexts may use waternonpolar to illustrate the idea of water losing its polarity, but such usage is not scientifically established.

Related topics include water polarity, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic effect, and nonpolar solubility.