Saved on this device

Follow your curiosity

What discovery has been shared with you?

FACTREE gives you something interesting to discover every day — and something worth talking about together.

Start with one fact. Explore it, go deeper, then follow whichever branch catches your imagination.

Choose subjects for a surprise

Exploring any topic

Begin your discovery

Your next discovery is one click away.

Choose one or more subjects above, or leave Any Topic selected and let curiosity decide.

Chemistry

Polarizability in Chemical Bonding

Quick fact

A single electron in a hydrogen atom is about 5.3 × 10⁻¹¹ meters from the nucleus, but its cloud is so 'soft' that it can be distorted by an approaching charge, creating a temporary dipole 10,000 times stronger than the intrinsic dipole of a water molecule.

Why this is interesting

Have you ever wondered why a small molecule like methane boils at such a low temperature, while a much larger molecule like octane stays liquid at room temperature? The answer lies in how easily their electron clouds can be 'squished'.