Explain why CO2 is non polar molecule whereas SO2 is polar molecule for 4 marks?

Explain why CO2 is non polar molecule whereas SO2 is a polar molecule for 4 marks?

Both carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are triatomic molecules consisting of three atoms held together by covalent bonds.
Carbon dioxide molecule has a linear geometry, with two oxygen atoms bonded to a central carbon atom. The carbon-oxygen double bonds are symmetrical and oriented at 180° to each other. Each oxygen atom has a higher electronegativity than the carbon atom, so they attract the shared electrons more strongly. However, since the molecule has a linear shape and the two polar bonds are oriented symmetrically, the dipole moments of each bond cancel out each other, making CO2 a nonpolar molecule.
Sulfur dioxide, on the other hand, has a bent shape due to the presence of two pairs of unshared electrons on the sulfur atom. The sulfur-oxygen bonds are polar, with the sulfur atom having a higher electronegativity than the oxygen atoms. The geometry of the molecule causes the polar bonds to be oriented in a non-symmetrical manner, causing the dipole moments to not cancel out. As a result, the molecule has a net dipole moment and is polar.
In summary, while both CO2 and SO2 have polar bonds, the difference in their molecular geometry causes CO2 to be a nonpolar molecule, whereas SO2 is a polar molecule.