Which term describes a molecule or part of a molecule that contains both positively and negatively charged regions?

• A. Dipole
• B. Solvent
• C. Malleability
• D. London dispersion forces

Answer: (A)

A dipole describes a molecule that has regions of positive and negative charge. This happens when bonds form between atoms with different electronegativities, pulling electron density toward the more electronegative atom and creating partial charges on each end (often shown as δ+ and δ−). The overall polarity depends on geometry: if the individual bond dipoles don’t cancel, the molecule has a net dipole moment and is polar; if they cancel due to symmetry, the molecule may have no net dipole moment even though some bonds are polar. The term captured here is about this charge separation within a molecule. The other options don’t describe this idea: a solvent is simply a medium in which substances dissolve, malleability is a mechanical property describing how a material deforms, and London dispersion forces are weak intermolecular attractions arising from temporary dipoles, not a description of a molecule’s internal charge regions.