Question

What is the formula for the covalent compound carbon tetrachloride?

Answer 1

Hint : We know that a dipole moment occurs when there is a separation of charge. They can occur between two ions in an ionic bond or between two atoms in a covalent bond; dipole moment rises from a difference in electronegativity.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
When a molecule consists of more than one polar pond, maybe the polarity of the bond cancels with another. While in the case of polyatomic molecules like carbon tetrachloride, polarity will decide based on the structure of the molecule. In such a case, it is necessary to treat each bond as a vector and it indicates with an arrow. The arrow shows the length of the molecule and the direction shows from positive to negative end, such that adding an individual bond dipole moment as a vector will give the overall dipole moment of the molecule. Larger dipole moment with the larger difference in electronegativity of atoms involved in bond formation.
The tetrahedral structure of carbon tetrachloride shows in the simplest arrangements of equivalent bonds around the central atom with a resulting dipole moment of zero. Because in the tetrahedral the polarity of three right-hand bonds cancels the left-handed bond polarity. So, carbon tetrachloride is a nonpolar covalent bond. You will no longer find this solvent in undergraduate laboratories due to safety concerns. The formula for the covalent compound carbon tetrachloride, $CC{{l}_{4}}.$

Note :
Remember that a nonpolar covalent bond is a type of covalent bond because the separation of charges between two or more atoms due to the dipole moment is zero. The type of covalent bond when polar bonds arrange themselves such that cancel each other.