Question

Statement I : Dipole moment is a vector quantity and by convention it is depicted by a small arrow with tail on the negative centre and head pointing towards the positive centre
Statement II : The crossed arrow of the dipole moment symbolizes the direction of the shift of charges in the molecules.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

• A. Both Statement I and Statement II are correct
• B. Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
• C. Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
• D. Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Statement I is correct. In chemistry, the dipole moment is represented by an arrow with a positive sign (\(+\)) at the tail and a negative sign (\(-\)) at the head. The arrow points from the positive charge to the negative charge, indicating the direction of the dipole moment, which is important for understanding the polarity of molecules. This representation is conventional and widely accepted in molecular chemistry.

Statement II is incorrect. The crossed arrow does not represent the shift of charges in a molecule. Rather, the crossed arrow in dipole moment notation indicates the direction of the resultant dipole moment in the molecule. It shows the vector from the positive charge to the negative charge, not the movement of the charges themselves. Therefore, this statement misinterprets the meaning of the crossed arrow in dipole moment representation.