Question

Does the molecule OCS have a higher or lower dipole moment than \(\mathrm{CS}_{2} ?\)

Short answer

The OCS molecule has a higher dipole moment than CS2.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the structure of the molecules

Start by examining the structure of the two molecules, OCS and CS2. OCS is a linear molecule with sulfur atom bonded with an oxygen atom on one side and carbon atom on other side. CS2 is also a linear molecule, but both sides of the sulphur atom are bonded with carbon atoms.

Evaluate the electronegativity

The electronegativity of O (oxygen) is more than that of C (carbon) and S (sulphur). In OCS, the greater electronegativity of Oxygen creates a shift of electron density towards it, creating a resultant dipole moment. Whereas in CS2, both carbon atoms have the same electronegativity so no net dipole moment exists.

Compare the Dipole Moments

As the OCS molecule has a net dipole moment due to the presence of the highly electronegative oxygen atom, while the CS2 molecule does not have a net dipole moment, we can conclude that the OCS molecule has a higher dipole moment than CS2.