Dipolar compound

In organic chemistry, a dipolar compound or simply dipole is an electrically neutral molecule carrying a positive and a negative charge in at least one canonical description. In most dipolar compounds the charges are delocalized.[1] Unlike salts, dipolar compounds have charges on separate atoms, not on positive and negative ions that make up the compound. Dipolar compounds exhibit a dipole moment.

${\displaystyle {\ce {[R-{\overset {\oplus }{N}}{\equiv }{\overset {\ominus }{C}}{:}<->R-{\ddot {N}}=C{:}]}}}$

Example of a dipolar compound, represented by a resonance structure (isocyanide)

Dipolar compounds can be represented by a resonance structure. Contributing structures containing charged atoms are denoted as zwitterions. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Some dipolar compounds can have an uncharged canonical form.