Which Is More Polar: Methyl Benzoate or Methyl m-Nitrobenzoate?

[Soaring Crane]

Homework Statement

I just wanted to check which is more polar: methyl benzoate or methyl m-nitrobenzoate.

Homework Equations

See below.

The Attempt at a Solution

The nitrobenzoate is more polar because it has more electronegative atoms bonded to a carbon, so there is a greater electronegativity difference?

Thanks.

 

[chemisttree]

That sounds reasonable.

 

[Blueshift5]

I would like to clarify that the polarity of a molecule is determined by the distribution of its electron density. This is influenced by the electronegativity of the atoms within the molecule, as well as the molecular geometry and any polar bonds present.

In the case of methyl benzoate and methyl m-nitrobenzoate, both molecules have a polar C=O bond due to the difference in electronegativity between carbon and oxygen. However, the presence of the nitro group in methyl m-nitrobenzoate increases the overall polarity of the molecule due to the presence of the highly electronegative nitrogen and oxygen atoms.

Therefore, methyl m-nitrobenzoate is more polar than methyl benzoate. This can also be confirmed by calculating the dipole moment of each molecule, which would be higher for methyl m-nitrobenzoate due to the larger difference in electronegativity between the atoms.