ACS Chemistry Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The term that describes a molecule with separated positive and negative electric charges is "dipole." A dipole occurs when there is a separation of charge within a molecule, typically due to differences in electronegativity between the atoms involved. In such cases, one part of the molecule becomes partially negatively charged while another part becomes partially positively charged, resulting in a dipole moment. This separation of charge is a fundamental concept in understanding molecular polarity and interactions, especially in solutions and with other polar molecules.

While ionic compounds do involve a separation of charges, they consist of ions held together by electrostatic forces, rather than being a single neutral molecule with a dipole moment. Radicals relate to species that contain an unpaired electron, and polyatomic ions are ions that consist of two or more atoms bonded together, forming a charged species but do not necessarily imply the presence of a dipole in the context of charge separation. Thus, the correct understanding of a dipole pertains specifically to the separation of electric charges within a molecule.