In carbon dioxide CO2 , the molecule has a linear structure with carbon in the center and oxygen atoms on both sides. The carbon-oxygen bond is polar due to the difference in electronegativity between carbon 2.55 and oxygen 3.44 . Oxygen is more electronegative than carbon, so it attracts the shared electrons more strongly, creating a partial negative charge - on the oxygen atoms and a partial positive charge + on the carbon atom.However, due to the linear and symmetrical structure of CO2, the two polar carbon-oxygen bonds are oriented in opposite directions, and their dipole moments cancel each other out. As a result, the overall molecule is nonpolar, even though the individual carbon-oxygen bonds are polar.