What is the Difference Between Bond Moment and Dipole Moment?

🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚

The key difference between bond moment and dipole moment lies in their definitions and the scope of their application. Here are the main distinctions:

  • Bond Moment: Also known as bond dipole moment, it represents the polarity of a chemical bond within a molecule. It occurs when there is a separation of positive and negative charges in a chemical bond, typically due to differences in electronegativity between the bonded atoms.
  • Dipole Moment: This is a measure of any electrical separation, including charge separations in molecules and lone pairs of electrons, if any. The dipole moment of a molecule is the vectorial addition of individual bond moments and moments due to lone pairs (if any).

In summary:

  1. Bond moment refers to the polarity of a specific chemical bond within a molecule, while dipole moment encompasses the overall electrical separation in the molecule, including contributions from multiple bond moments and lone pairs of electrons.
  2. Bond moment is more focused on the intramolecular charges and their separation within a specific bond, whereas dipole moment considers the overall charge distribution and separation in the entire molecule.

Comparative Table: Bond Moment vs Dipole Moment

The difference between bond moment and dipole moment can be understood through the following table:

Property Bond Moment Dipole Moment
Definition Bond moment refers to the polarity in a covalent chemical bond between two atoms with different electronegativities. Dipole moment is the separation of electrical charges, which can occur between two ions in an ionic bond or between atoms in a covalent bond.
Occurrence Occurs in covalent bonds with different electronegativities. Occurs in both ionic and covalent bonds.
Cause Caused by the different electronegativities of the bonded atoms. Caused by the difference between electronegativity values of different atoms.
Mathematical Representation Not represented as a vector quantity. Represented as a vector quantity, with both magnitude and direction.
Measurement Harder to measure directly. Easier to measure, as it can be determined by placing a substance between charged plates.

In summary, bond moment refers to the polarity in a covalent bond between two atoms with different electronegativities, while dipole moment is the separation of electrical charges in both ionic and covalent bonds. Dipole moment is a vector quantity, with both magnitude and direction, and is easier to measure compared to bond moment.