electronic geometry vs molecular geometry

[Veronica Macias 3K]

Can someone explain the difference between electronic geometry and molecular geometry?

[Veronica Macias 3K]

Also, when asked about molecule shapes, when would you state the electronic geometry over the molecular geometry?

[Sarah Salam 1J]

Hi, this confused me too, but from what I saw I believe electron geometry groups can include molecular geometry shapes based off of bond angles.

[Alan Huang 1E]

Electron geometry describes the arrangement of electron groups while molecular geometry describes the arrangement of atoms excluding lone pairs.

In essence, electron geometry includes lone pairs while molecular geometry does not.

[Vanshika Bhushan 1A]

Electron Geometry is the shape the electrons take around the central atom. These electrons can be in either a chemical bond or in lone pairs. Molecular geometry is described on the basis of bonding electron pairs NOT the number of electron pairs.

[Leyna Tran 2D]

Hi to add on, electron geometry explains the arrangement of the groups of electrons. Meanwhile, molecular geometry explains the arrangement of atoms, NOT including the lone pairs of electrons. So for example, if there are four atoms bonded to the central atom, the electron geometry is tetrahedral because there are four bonds. If the atoms are all bonded at the four places, the molecular shape is tetrahedral. But if there is one lone pair of electron and the other three are bonds, then the molecular geometry changes to trigonal pyramidal.

[Alara Aygen 3K]

Hi! Electron geometry is the arrangement of electron groups. Molecular geometry is the arrangement of atoms.

[Nicolette Simoni 3L]

Hi!

Its actually quite simple! Electronic geometry is the shape of the molecule with the lone pairs present in mind, where as molecular geometry counts for only the atoms present, not the lone pairs. Think of it like this, IO3- has a tetrahedral electron arrangement (electronic geometry) with a lone pair on I, but its molecular geometry does not count for the lone pair and only the atoms in the other 3 regions, the lone pair does effect the shape, but it is not counted. So, the molecular geometry is trigonal pyramidal, with a bond angle that is < 109.5 degrees.

Hope this helps! :)

[Veronica Macias 3K]

These were all very helpful thank you!

[America Ramirez 3H]

the difference is that electron geometry deals with the arrangement of electron densities (so atoms and lone pairs) while molecular geometry only deals with atoms.