* Electronegativity: Chlorine is much more electronegative than carbon and hydrogen. This means that chlorine has a stronger pull on the shared electrons in the bond.
* Polarity: The unequal sharing of electrons in the carbon-chlorine bond creates a partial negative charge (δ-) on the chlorine atom and a partial positive charge (δ+) on the carbon atom. This creates a dipole moment in the bond, making it polar.
* Carbon-hydrogen bond: While there is a slight difference in electronegativity between carbon and hydrogen, it is much smaller compared to the difference between carbon and chlorine. This results in a much weaker dipole moment, making the carbon-hydrogen bond less polar.
In summary: The greater electronegativity difference between chlorine and carbon leads to a more polar carbon-chlorine bond in chloromethane.
