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Is SO3 polar or nonpolar?

Sulfur trioxide (SO3) is a nonpolar molecule. This is due to its molecular geometry and the distribution of the electron clouds in the molecule.In SO3​:The molecule has a trigonal planar geometry.Each of the three oxygen atoms forms a double bond with the central sulfur atom.The molecular symmetry is such that the dipole moments of the S=O bonds cancel each other out.Despite the individual S=O bonds being polar (due to the difference in electronegativity between sulfur and oxygen), the symmetrical arrangement in the trigonal planar geometry of SO3SO3​ results in an overall nonpolar molecule. The dipoles in the three S=O bonds are equally distributed and point in opposite directions, effectively cancelling each other out and resulting in no net dipole moment for the molecule as a whole.
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  • 1
    The SO3 2- ion, also known as sulfite ion, has a trigonal pyramidal structure. This structure is due to the presence of one lone pair and three bonding pairs of electrons around the central sulfur atom. In the SO3 2- ion: The sulfur atom is in the center. There are three oxygen atoms surrounding the sulfur atom, each forming a double bond with sulfur. The sulfur atom has a lone pair of electrons. The molecular geometry is trigonal pyramidal, a result of the tetrahedral arrangement of electron pairs (three bonding pairs and one lone pair) around the sulfur atom. This geometry leads to a slightly distorted tetrahedral shape, as the lone pair exerts a slightly greater repulsive force compared to the bonding pairs, pushing the oxygen atoms slightly closer together.
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  • 2
    The chemical compound SO3 is known as sulfur trioxide. Sulfur trioxide has a different structure from the sulfite ion (SO3 2-). For sulfur trioxide (SO3): - The central atom is sulfur. - There are three oxygen atoms bonded to the sulfur atom. - Each oxygen atom forms a double bond with the sulfur atom. - The molecular geometry of SO3 is trigonal planar. In this arrangement, the sulfur atom is at the center of an equilateral triangle, with the three oxygen atoms at the corners. This configuration results from the presence of three bonding pairs and no lone pairs of electrons around the sulfur atom, leading to a planar structure with 120-degree angles between the bonds.
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