What is the electronegativity difference for the compound NH3, is the compound symmetrical or asymmetrical, and is the compound polar, nonpolar, or ionic?

Question

What is the electronegativity difference for the compound NH3, is the compound symmetrical or asymmetrical, and is the compound polar, nonpolar,  or ionic?

kekeman · Answer

Here is my drawing of the compound: https://snipboard.io/kVQ2NW.jpg

lowkey · Answer

Hello. This question is composed of three parts

lowkey · Answer

a) Electronegativity Difference
I'm hoping this means the individual electronegativities between the 2 N-H bonds. If not, don't listen to me lol. 
Your Lewis dot structure is very much correct, and to take it a step further the compound shape will be a trigonal pyramid. 
When finding the electronegativity difference, consult this picture here. 
You should be able to find the two individual atoms, Nitrogen and Hydrogen. You can find the difference by subtracting the bigger minus the smaller electronegative number.

lowkey · Answer

b) Symmetry
Imagine the compound NH3 as a marshmellow as the atoms and the sticks representing the bond. (imagine lone pairs as an invisible marshmellow bond for now.) Evenly distribute those, and it should look something like this. 
To determine the symmetry, look at the axis and center of symmetry. If it has both, it is symmetric. if it does not, it is assymetric.

lowkey · Answer

c) Polar/Nonpolar
If the answer you got before is asymmetric, the molecule is polar. if you said it was symmetric. it is nonpolar.

lowkey · Answer

Hope this helped.

kekeman · Answer

@lowkey wrote:

a) Electronegativity Difference I'm hoping this means the individual electronegativities between the 2 N-H bonds. If not, don't listen to me lol. Your Lewis dot structure is very much correct, and to take it a step further the compound shape will be a trigonal pyramid. When finding the electronegativity difference, consult this picture here. You should be able to find the two individual atoms, Nitrogen and Hydrogen. You can find the difference by subtracting the bigger minus the smaller electronegative number.

Yes i did 3.04 - 2.20 = 0.84

lowkey · Answer

Yes. Should be correct

kekeman · Answer

@lowkey wrote:

b) Symmetry Imagine the compound NH3 as a marshmellow as the atoms and the sticks representing the bond. (imagine lone pairs as an invisible marshmellow bond for now.) Evenly distribute those, and it should look something like this. To determine the symmetry, look at the axis and center of symmetry. If it has both, it is symmetric. if it does not, it is assymetric.

And i think that it is asymmetrical because they have one lone pair on the central atom. Am i correct?

lowkey · Answer

Yes!! Totally correct. And with that answer you should be able to find the polarity and non polarity decision

kekeman · Answer

Which means the molecule is polar

lowkey · Answer

Yep!

kekeman · Answer

Thanks for the help!!!

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