I am working on a chemistry problem which asks what is the ideal bond angles of

Question

I am working on a chemistry problem which asks what is the ideal bond angles of HNO3, C2H4O, and CH2O2.  In addition to that they ask to state where I expect to have any deviation in the ideal bond angle due to multiple bonding or lone pair electrons.  I have drawn out the lewis-dot structures for all three molecules, and I am using my book to look at general formulas to try and break down each molecule's bond angle in between its multiple bonds to other atoms.  However, I don't think I am attempting this problem 100% correctly, can someone please help?

Explanation / Answer

Bond angles are decreased due to the presence ofmultiple bonds (double bonds/triple bonds) and/or lone pairelectrons. For example, a tetrahedral optimally has bond angles of 109.5degrees, but if lone pair electrons exist, the lone pair electronspush the other tetrahedral molecules closer to each other, and thebond angle becomes closer to 107.5 degrees. Same applies to other shapes. The simplest example is the watermolecule. H2O's molecular structure is "Bent" instead of Linear dueto the presence of lone pair electrons around the O molecule, whichpush the H molecules away. --------- As for the actual problem: HNO3 has 4 molecules, meaning it forms a tetrahedral structure. H is assigned 1 electron N is assigned 5 electrons (O is assigned 6 electrons) x 3 Total electron count is 24 electrons, giving you 12 electronpairs. N is the central atom, and assigning electron pairs where theyshould go satisfies the Octet Rule.        H _ |    _ |O--N--O|         |       |O| Since there are no lone pairs or double/triple bonds, you know thatthe standard tetrahedral angle is 109.5. Use the same approach with the other molecules.

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