AXE formula

[danielruiz1G]

is it possible to determine the shape of a molecule if you're only given the AXE formula, if so how do you do it?

[Jessica Urzua-1H]

It is possible. The AXE formula tells you how many regions of electron density there are, which ones are specifically bonding pairs, and which ones are lone pairs. This is all that is needed to determine molecular shape.

[Jack Martinyan 1L]

The chart below will be helpful

[Enzo_1I]

From what i understand it is necessary to know the shape that corresponds to the formula. This means memorizing which formulas are associated to which shape.

[Patience Olsen 1A]

Yes. A represents the center atom, X represents atoms bonded to the center atom, and E represents lone electron pairs. X and E together represent regions of electron density.
Each AXE formula corresponds to a different molecular structure shown in the chart posted by Jack.

[Miya Lopez 1I]

I believe if they give you the molecular formula and the AXE formula you could determine the shape. Say if you were given H2O: AX2E2... then you know there are 2 bonding atoms and 2 lone pairs. Then once you draw the molecule out you could figure out its shape.

[Daniela Alvarado 3B]

From what i understand it is necessary to know the shape that corresponds to the formula. This means memorizing which formulas are associated to which shape.

do you happen to know if theres anyway to know the corresponding shape aside form the AXE formula? or must we memorize those too?

[Rachel Dang 1H]

There really isn't another way, the best thing to do is just memorize them because the AXE formula tells you what shape the molecule is.

[Rami_Z_AbuQubo_2K]

The only way for you to know the shapes is to simply memorize them using the table above or one that you can search up online. By knowing AXE, that should in turn help you figure out the different geometric shapes of each molecule.

[Kyither Min 2K]

Yes. With the AXE formula you can deduce what shape and bond angle the molecule will have based on charts and tables.

[Schem_student]

Also be aware that AXE is a specific VSEPR Group that will help you determine MG or molecular geometry.

[Erin Kim 2G]

yes you can determine the molecular shape of the molecule, knowing the AXE formula because the number of electron densities are known. By counting the number of lone pairs and the number of atoms around the central atom you can know the shape and bond angles.

[005115864]

It's possible but be aware of that there are molecules with different shapes but same AXE Formula. This is because they have the same number of electron densities. For instance, tetrahedral and trigonal pyramidal are both AXE4 because they both have 4 regions of electron densities.

[SydBenedict2H]

To learn these I just made a chart, or you can write down the one posted above as it can be super helpful, and then put it all into flashcards on quilt. I studied that until i had it memorized, then, doing a bunch of problems switches the memorization from route to actual understanding.

[Phil Timoteo 1K]

Yes with the AXE formula you can determine the shape of the molecule

[Lauren Huang 1H]

Yes, the AXE formula can help you draw the shape of the structure, but it will not tell you the elements involved.

[Arlene Linares 3A]

How do we figure out the AXE formula? I am still having trouble with this.

[Jack Hewitt 2H]

is it possible to determine the shape of a molecule if you're only given the AXE formula, if so how do you do it?

Yes because the AXE formula tells you the regions of electron density which is all you need to determine the shape.

[Jack Hewitt 2H]

How do we figure out the AXE formula? I am still having trouble with this.

A is the central atom. X is the number of atoms bonded to the central atom. E is the number of lone pairs on the central atom.

[Zachary Menz 1D]

Yes, you can determine shape with the AXE formula. You should try to memorize them because it'll save time and guarantee correctness on exams, but you can also think about it in terms of regions of electron density, where X represents bonding pairs on the central atom and E represents lone pairs on the central atom.

[Jillian C 4C]

By knowing the central atom as well as how many lone pairs and bonded atoms there are, it can be deduced which shape the molecule is.

[Jasmine 2C]

Yes it is! Any molecule with the same AXE formula will have the same molecular shape/

[Viviana Velasquez]

Yes, you should be able to determine the shape of a molecule based on the AXE formula.

[Micah3J]

Is the AXE formula another name for the VSEPR formula? Are the two terms interchangeable?

[Ayushi2011]

This notation lets us know the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs which makes it easier to draw structures.

[SarahCoufal_1k]

Yes you can, and they will. usually be the same. Looking at the AXE formula, X is number of bonded pairs to central atoms and E is number of lone pairs. With this you can understand the number of electron densities but also the number of bonded atoms. So you can use both to figure out the shape and the angles usually

[Sara Richmond 2K]

is it possible to determine the shape of a molecule if you're only given the AXE formula, if so how do you do it?

The only real way to do it, is to memorize the chart. This chart is especially helpful because it includes hybridization and shape and polarity.

[Nicholas_Gladkov_2J]

is it possible to determine the shape of a molecule if you're only given the AXE formula, if so how do you do it?

The formula tells you how many lone pairs as well as how many attached atoms there are to the central atom.
The subscript after X is how many atoms attached to the central atom. In AX2E2 for example, there are two attached atoms.
The subscript after E refers the the number of lone pairs. For AX2E2 ther are two lone pairs.

So, putting all the information together, there are two attached atoms and two lone pairs, so we have the electron shape as tetrahedral, and the molecular shape as bent. Water has this formula. I think that as long as you know the VSEPR shapes you can deduce the formula.

[Leyna Dang 2H]

Yes, it's definitely possible! You just have to be able to know which formula corresponds with which shape.

[Hannah Pham]

It is possible to determine the molecular shape from AXE formula. The formula corresponds to the number of electron densities, including the lone pairs and bonds, which is then used to determine shape of the molecule.

[sbottomley3a]

Yes, you can determine the molecular shape from the formula. The subscript off of Xn tells you how many things are bonded to the central atom, and the subscript off of Em tells you how many lone pairs there are on the central atom. With this information, we can figure out the molecular shape. I suggest making flashcards from the charts posted above to make this easier! It's definitely something we need to memorize :)

[Natalie Wang 1B]

Yes, the AXE formula is part of VSEPR Theory, which is used to determine a molecule's shape. Just remember that you can't use hybridization to determine a molecule's shape!

[Sanjana Borle 2K]

The best way is to know the chart and which shape corresponds with which AXE formula.