bond angle

[Andrea- 3J]

For a trigonal planar, bent the bond angle is less than 120.
How do I find the exact angle? Is it acceptable that for the test I put >120 for the bond angle?

[Patrick Cai 1L]

VSEPR does not have methods to find the exact bond angle magnitude (this is determined experimentally), it can tell you the shape and range of what the bond angle could be. Therefore, for the test, you would be only able to write down <120 degrees.

[Parth Mungra]

You cannot find the exact answer. It's something you have to google. However, drawing the lewis structure can tell you if it is less than 120, or 120 or whatever. You won't find the exact number but it will you give an idea of the compound you are looking at.

[Meigan Wu 2E]

Yes, the approximation of the bond angle is acceptable, so < 120 degrees works.

[sarahartzell1A]

Since you cannot know the exact angle, <120 is acceptable.

[Xingzheng Sun 2K]

For trigonal planer, the bond angle is exactly 120 degrees. For other shapes, since the lone pair has a stronger force, the bond angle can be slightly smaller than the original angle.

[Sapna Ramappa 1J]

Because you would only be able to find the exact bond angle through an experiment, it's totally fine to put <120 degrees for the test!