bent molecular structure [ENDORSED]
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bent molecular structure
Why does having two sets of lone pairs and two paired electrons create a bent molecular structure?
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Re: bent molecular structure
If there are 4 regions of electron density then the electron arrangement will be tetrahedral. If only 2 of those regions are bonding pairs then the molecular shape will be bent, because no matter which pairs you make attached to the central atom the bond angle will be slightly less than 109.5 degrees.
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Re: bent molecular structure
Be careful with the bond angles and the shape though; the bent shape with 1 lone pair and 2 lone pairs have a different angle in between!
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Re: bent molecular structure
Hi! Please correct me if I'm wrong, but whether or not a molecule is bent (referred to as angular in the textbook) depends on the presence of lone pairs on the central atom. A lack of lone pairs will allow the bonded electrons to be further apart, as in the linear structure, and a presence of lone pairs-- as in water, for example-- will push the bonded electrons closer to one another because the lone electrons have a stronger repulsion than bonded electrons. Hope this helps :)
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Re: bent molecular structure [ENDORSED]
A molecule with two bonded electrons and two lone pair electrons will be bent because the lone pairs on the central atom repel each other and cause the bonded electrons to move farther apart which changes the structure from linear to bent
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