Carbon dioxide CO2 is a linear molecule with a carbon atom in the center and an oxygen atom on each side. The carbon-oxygen bonds in CO2 are polar due to the difference in electronegativity between carbon and oxygen atoms. However, because CO2 has a linear and symmetrical structure, the individual bond dipoles cancel each other out, resulting in an overall dipole moment of zero. In other words, CO2 is a nonpolar molecule with no net dipole moment.