Bond lengths

[Andrea_1H]

How do you predict bond lengths? I know Dr. Lavelle showed us an example in lecture, but I’m still confused as to how you’d figure that out.

[Ryan Yee 1J]

Normally you can just use the atomic radius between two bonding atoms to find the bond length, but once you get into double and triple bond territory, the attractive forces increase and bond length decreases. In resonant structures, the bond length is somewhere between the bond lengths of all the bonds because of the partial bond characteristics.

[Joanne Lee 1J]

Bond length is dependent on the type of bond, whether it is a single bond, double bond, or triple bond. Then if each molecule has resonance the bond lengths will be in between the lengths of the two different bonds. We have not been taught how to specifically find the exact value of the bond length.

[Jialun Chen 4F]

Bond strength increases from single bonds to triple bonds, and bond length is the opposite, which decreases from single bonds to triples bonds.

[Jainam Shah 4I]

Atoms whose radii are larger tend to have longer bond lengths. Consider HF, HCL, HBr, and HI. The iodine will have the largest atomic radius thus when the H bonds with the Iodine the bond will be longer.