OK, for all you non-techies (in what I hope will be perceived as a non-technical
explanation) polar and non-polar refer to the way the electrons are distributed
over time in a molecule. If the electrons are randomly distributed the molecule
will be non-polar, or in other words there will not be a positive and negative
pole on the molecule. Other molecules (for reasons best not discussed
here because it will be too technical) have the electrons preferring one end
to the other. Water is the best example, being highly polar, with a structure
something like H--O--H (but with a 105 degree angle, if I remember correctly,
not a straight line as typed here) where the electrons spend more time at the
oxygen than at the hydrogen atoms. Hence the oxygen is the negative pole and
the hydrogen is the positive pole. Note, however, that the 105 degree angle
contributes to the molecule being polar.
Like dissolves like, so if we know that water is polar our knowing that oil and
water don't mix tells us that oil is non polar (and it is).
Best regards,
Rob Housman
A070
----- Original Message -----
From: JJConstant@aol.com
Subject: Re: Tape Adhesive solvent?
O.K., I'll bite. What the heck does "polar" or "non-polar" refer to?
Jeremy Constant
A114
|