Is CHC13 Polar or Non-Polar?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 24, 2020

CHC13, commonly known as chloroform, is a polar compound. As noted by Macromolecular Studies Group at Louisiana State University, the compound has a dipole moment of 1.15 D at 25°C, polarity index of 4.1 and dielectric constant of 4.81 at 20°C.

Chloroform has four covalent bonds: three C-Cl bonds and one C-H bond. According to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the bond between carbon and hydrogen is considered nonpolar, while the bonds between carbon and chlorine are considered polar. Cloroform has low polarity index and dielectric constant because of the tetrahedral geometry of the bonds within the molecule and their low polarity. Chloroform is considered a nonpolar solvent despite being a slightly polar chemical compound.