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Why are carbon-halogen bonds polar in alkyl halides?
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organohalogen compound
Vinyl chloride is an organohalogen compound that has important industrial applications. When treated with certain catalysts, vinyl chloride monomers undergo polymerization and form the larger compound known as polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC is used in the manufacture of numerous products, including packaging films and water pipes.
In alkyl halides, the carbon-halogen bond is polar because the halogen substituent is more electronegative than the carbon atom to which it is bonded.
This difference in electronegativity causes the halogen to draw the shared electrons in the C–X bond toward itself. As a result, the halogen acquires a partial negative charge (), while the carbon atom acquires a partial positive charge (). This unequal distribution of electrical charge creates an electric dipole, rendering the bond polar.123