Why does water have different properties from carbon dioxide if they have the same molecular shape?

Question

Chemistry. boo.

correction: sorry, didn't mean the same shape, I meant the same number of atoms.

Answer 1

do they ? water has a 6 sided hexagonal shape, carbon dioxide is 8 sided shaped formed like four-sided pyramids, called octahedrons

Answer 2

Just because the two molecules both contain 3 atoms doesn't mean they'll have the same properties at all. For starters, the CO2 molecule is much heavier than the water molecule. Furthermore, the individual elements making up the two molecules have different properties.

The main "interesting" property of the water molecule is called hydrogen bonding. This is because the Oxygen atom is much more "electronegative" than the Hydrogen atoms. Therefore, the electrons of the molecule tend to be closer to the Oxygen atom than the Hydrogen ones. Stripped of its electron, a Hydrogen nucleas is just a simple proton (unless the H is an isotope with a neutron or two). This single proton somewhat distant from its electrons tends to be a positive charge that other atoms/ions/water molecules can bond with. It isn't a full-fledged chemical bond though. The Oxygen atom in the water molecule, having the electrons closer to it tends to be negatively charged. This means that in a sample of water, the hydrogen in one molecule is attracted to the oxygen of another. This makes the water have different properties, such as a higher boiling temperature, the crystal lattice structure of solid water, etc.

Carbon is a much heavier element than Hydrogen - about 12 times heavier, actually. The CO2 molecule has the Oxygen atoms on the outside, so they would be more likely to be reacting with other molecules, unlike in water. The different mass, arrangement, chemical properties, etc all make CO2 what it is, not the number of atoms in the molecule.

The only thing I can think of thats identity is determined by its number is the elements themselves. The number of protons in the nucleus is what makes each element unique.

Answer 3

I think you mean physical properties here and not chemical properties.

The physical properties depend (in part) on the intermolecular forces that exist between the molecules of each substance.

Water molecules are polar molecules because the O-H bonds are polar (unequal sharing of electrons) AND because the molecule is NOT symmetrical. The 2 H atoms are NOT directly across from each other because there are also 2 lone pairs of electrons on the O atom. If you draw a water molecule with the 2 H atoms NOT accross from each other, you can then draw a line through the molecule that places the O atom on one side and the 2 H atoms on the other of the line. The O side of the molecule becomes partially negatively charged and the side with the 2 H's becomes partially positively charged. This is called a dipole. The partially negatively charged O side of the molecule attracts the partially positive H of another water molecule. This attraction is repeated billions upon billions of times in a sample of water that contains billions upon billions of molecules. These attractions hold water molecules together and this attraction is called hydrogen bonding.

The carbon dioxide molecule is nonpolar because of its symmetry. Even though the C-O bonds are polar, the O atoms ARE directly accross from each other and the molecule has no dipole. The attractve forces between molecules of carbon dioxide are called dispersion forces and are much weaker than the hydrogen bonding forces between water moleucules.

The stronger attractions between water molecules makes water a liquid at room temperature. The weaker attractions between the carbon dioxide molecules allow it to be a gas at room temperature.

Answer 4

They do not have the same shape. Water, H2O, is almost L shaped, and polar, because the O holds the electrons more of the time. H-O, the other H goes down from the O

Carbondioxide is straight, a C with a double bond to an O on either side. It is covalent and shares the electrons evenly. O=C=O

Answer 5

Water is a very polar molecule .

THere is a "fractional " positive carge on the atoms of hydrogene and 2 fractional charges on the atom of oxygen

For this reason, in water there is a new kind of bound "hydrogrn bound" which are fundamntal for life and very other interactions

Answer 6

Molecular shape doesn't mean everything. Because of the different atoms involved, there is a difference in strength of their bonds, therefore giving it much different properties.

Answer 7

Water is H20 Hydrogen (2 molecules) per 1 oxygen. Carbon Di Oxide is 1 Carbon 2(Oxygen). That is like asking why is 2 parts butter and one part milk different from 2 parts milk and one part butter.

Answer 8

They dont have the same molecular shape. They dont have the same molecular components H2O and CO2 are totally diffrent in many ways.

Answer 9

hehe

well one thing.. water is made up of one Hydrogen molecule and 2 oxgyen molecules (hence H2O)

carbon dioxide is one Carbon molecue and 2 oxygen molecules (C02)