WHOLE BRAIN LEARNING SYSTEM

OUTCOME – BASED EDUCATION

SCIENCE GRADE
GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1 11

LEARNING QUARTER 4
MODULE WEEK 4

WBLS-OBE MELC-Aligned Self-Learning Module General Chemistry 2

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 MODULE IN
GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1

QUARTER 4
WEEK 4

The Properties of Molecular

Covalent Compounds in Relation
to their Structure

Development Team

Writer: Preciousa F. Ramos

Editors/Reviewers: Elizabeth H. Domingo Hamilton C. Remigio

Flenie A. Galicinao

Lay-out Artist: Ryan James J. Pascual

Management Team:
Vilma D. Eda, CESO V
Arnel S. Bandiola Lourdes B. Arucan

Juanito V. Labao Flenie A. Galicinao

WBLS-OBE MELC-Aligned Self-Learning Module General Chemistry 1 1

 What I Need to Know

This module helps you understand the properties of molecular covalent compounds in
relation to their structure. This module discusses the different theories about the shapes of
molecules and their polarity. In your journey through the discussions and assigned tasks, you
are expected to:

Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC):

1. describe the geometry of simple compounds; (STEM_GC11CBIId-g-81)

2. determine the polarity of simple molecules; (STEM_GC11CBIId-g-82)

Learning Objectives:
The learners should be able to:
1. describe the shapes of simple covalent molecules using the VSEPR and valence
bond theories;
2. predict the molecular geometry of some molecules; and
3. determine the polarity of a molecule from electronegativity values and molecular
geometry.

This module consists of lessons on:

Lesson 1 – Molecular Geometry and Polarity

Note: All answers to assessments/activities must be written on a separate sheet of paper.

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 What I Know

Directions: Read each question/statement carefully. Write the letter of the correct answer on
a separate sheet of paper.

1. What factors describe the geometry of a molecule?

A. bond length and bond angle
B. bond length and bond strength
C. size of atoms and number of bonds
D. number of lone pairs and bond length

2. This theory states that the best arrangement of a given number of chemical bonds or
unshared electrons is the one that minimizes the repulsion among them.
A. covalent bond theory C. VSEPR theory
B. valence bond theory D. hybridization

3. Which is a tetrahedral molecule?

A. SF4 C. XeF4
B. SiF4 D. ClF3

4. Which molecule is polar?

A. CS2 C. CCl4
B. PCl3 D. XeF4

5. What is the geometry of NH3?

A. trigonal planar C. trigonal pyramidal
B. tetrahedral D. angular

6. What two factors determine whether or not a molecule is polar?

A. bond length and bond angle
B. bond length and bond strength
C. size of atoms and number of bonds
D. electronegativity difference and molecular geometry

7. Using the electronegativity difference, what type of bond is formed between H-N?
A. ionic bond C. metallic bond
B. polar covalent bond D. nonpolar covalent bond

8. Which of the following molecules is a nonpolar?

A. C.

B. D.

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9. What is the geometry of AsCl5?
A. trigonal pyramidal C. trigonal bipyramidal
B. trigonal planar D. seesaw

10. Which of the following molecule has trigonal pyramidal geometry?

A. PBr3 C. XeF4
B. SO3 D. TeF4

Lesson
Molecular Geometry and Polarity
1
This module presents to you the properties of molecular covalent compounds in
relation to their structure. In the previous module, you learned about the ionic bond formation
and covalent bond formation in terms of atomic properties. Although molecules are so tiny
and we cannot see them with our naked eyes, these particles do have a particular shape or
geometry which greatly influences the observed properties of the substances. In this module,
you will learn about the different molecular geometry. You will also learn how to determine the
polarity of simple molecules.

What’s In

Directions: Rearrange the words to form the correct word.

1. LADETRATHER _____________________
2. LNGAURA__________________________
3. NEARIL ____________________________
4. WASEES __________________________________________
5. TACODRALHE ______________________

What’s New

The properties of molecules do not depend only on the type of bonding of atoms but
also on molecular geometry – the three-dimensional arrangement of a molecule’s atoms in

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space. The polarity of each bond, along with the geometry of the molecule, determines
molecular polarity, or the uneven distribution of molecular charge.

After performing many tests designed to reveal the shapes of various molecules,
chemists developed two different, equally successful theories to explain certain aspects of
their findings. One theory account for molecular bond angles and the other describe the
orbitals that contain the valence electrons of a molecule’s atoms.

What is It

The VSEPR Model

The overall shape of a molecule is described by two properties – bond length and bond
angle. Bond length is the distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms. Bond angle is the
angle made by the lines joining the nuclei of the atoms in the molecule. The bond length and
bond angle describe the size and shape of the molecule.
The VSEPR Model is an easier way to predict the probable shapes of molecules. The
valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory states that the best arrangement of a
given number of shared and unshared electrons is the one that minimizes the repulsion among
them. This results in a particular geometric shape of a molecule. Molecular geometry is the
arrangement of atoms of a molecule in space.
In this theory, electrons in chemical bonds (whether single, double or triple bonds),
unshared electrons and single unpaired electrons around the central atom are called electron
groups. The three-dimensional arrangement of the electron groups in space is called electron-
group geometry. Below is the table for the basic electron-group geometries.

Table 1 The Basic Electron-Group Geometries

Number of Electron Groups Electron-Group Geometry

2 linear

3 trigonal planar

4 tetrahedral

5 trigonal bipyramidal

6 octahedral

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 Electron groups in a molecule repel each other since they are all negatively charged,
and get as far apart from each other as possible. Electron lone pairs spread out more than
bonding electrons do. The order of repulsion between electron groups is:

lone pair-lone pair > lone pair – bonding pair > bonding pair – bonding pair

Predicting the Molecular Geometry of Molecules

Step 1. Draw the appropriate Lewis structure.

Step 2. Determine the number of electron groups around the central atom and
identify each as a bonding pair or lone pair.
Step 3. Determine the molecular geometry from the table below.

The table below summarizes how to identify the molecular geometry based on the
number of lone pairs and number of bonding pairs present in the molecule with the
corresponding molecular geometry.

Table 1. Molecular Geometry and Bond Angle of Compounds

Number Electron- No. of Lone Formula Bond Molecular

of Group Pairs, No. of Angle Geometry
Electron Geometry Bonding
Groups Pairs
2 linear 0, 2 AX2 1800

3 trigonal 0, 3 AX3 1200

planar

angular 1, 2 AX2 1200

4 Tetrahedral 0, 4 AX4 109.50

Trigonal 1, 3 AX3 1070

pyramidal

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 Angular or 2, 2 AX2 104.50
bent
5 Trigonal 0, 5 AX5 900
bipyramidal 1200
1800

Seesaw 1, 4 AX4 900

1200
1800

T-shaped 2, 3 AX3 900

Linear 3, 2 AX2 1800

6 Octahedral 0, 6 AX6 900

1800

Square 1, 5 AX5 900

pyramidal

Square 2, 4 AX4 900

planar

Valence Bond Theory

The VSEPR theory predicts the three-dimensional molecular geometry of a large

number of covalent compounds. Yet, it does not explain how the bonds are formed and why
bonds exist between atoms.
The valence bond theory can help you understand the formation of covalent bonds
between atoms. The basic idea of this theory is that a covalent bond is formed by the overlap
of atomic orbitals. It states further that bonding occurs through the overlap of the two half-
filled orbitals of the bonding atoms.

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 One example is the HCl molecule. The electron configuration of chlorine is
1s22s22p63s23p23p1 One 3p orbital has an unpaired electron. This overlaps with the 1s orbital
of hydrogen which also has one unpaired electron. A single covalent bond with this overlap
corresponds to the sharing of two electrons (one pair) between hydrogen and chlorine.
(Figure 1)

Figure 1. The s and p orbital of hydrogen and chlorine

Polar and Nonpolar Covalent Bonds

A polar bond has a negative end labelled - (read as partially negative) and a positive
end labelled + (read as partially positive). The polarity of the bond is sometimes indicated
simply by an arrow pointing towards the negative end of the bond ( )
The ability of an atom in a molecule to attract shared electrons is indicated by a property
called electronegativity (EN). The greater the electronegativity of an atom the stronger is its
ability to attract shared electrons. It was Linus Pauling who developed the first and most widely
used electronegativity scale.
The difference in electronegativity between the atoms forming a bond gives an indication
of the polarity of the bond. The greater the difference in electronegativity, the more polar is
the bond. Thus, the H-F bond (ENF – 4.0 and ENH = 2.1) is more polar than the H-Cl bond
(ENCl=3.2). When the electronegativity difference between two atoms is very large, the
electrons may be so polarized by the big difference in the attraction of the two atoms that
instead of electron sharing and the formation of a covalent bond, a transfer of electrons takes
place and an ionic bond is formed.
The rule of thumb is that, if the difference in electronegativity is greater than or equal to
2.0, there would be a transfer of electrons rather than a sharing of electrons and an ionic bond
would result rather than a covalent bond, the table below is a useful guide in classifying the
bond in a molecule.

Table 2. Using the Electronegativity in Classifying Bonds

Type of Bond Electronegativity Difference
Ionic >2.0
Polar Covalent 0.5 – 1.9
Nonpolar Covalent < 0.4

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Polarity of Bonds and Molecules
What makes a molecule polar or nonpolar?
The presence of polar covalent bonds in a molecule is not an indication that the molecule
is polar as a whole. For example, the C – O bonds in CO2 are polar but the molecule as a
whole is nonpolar. The linear geometry of CO2 is an important factor. The polarity of the two
C – O bonds cancel each other.

If the geometry of each molecule is such that the polarity of the bonds cancels each
other, then the polarity of the molecule becomes nonpolar. Both the chloroform, CHCl 3 and
carbon tetrachloride, CCl4 have the same geometry. But in CHCl3, the bonds are no longer all
identical and their polarities therefore do not cancel each other. Thus, CHCl 3 is a polar
molecule.

Blue arrow: direction of net dipole moment

https://images.app.goo.gl/dY2rHoA3hKHANcSe9

For molecules of high symmetry such as BF3, CH4, PF5, and SF6, all the bonds are of
identical polarity (same bond moment) and they are oriented in geometries that yield nonpolar
molecules (dipole moment is zero). Molecules of less geometric symmetry, however, may be
polar even when all bond moments are identical. For these molecules, the directions of the
equal bond moments are such that they sum to give a nonzero dipole moment and a polar
molecule. Examples of such molecules include hydrogen sulfide, H 2S and ammonia, NH3.

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 What’s More

Activity 4.1. Identifying the geometry of compounds

Directions: Complete the following table.

Polar/Nonpolar
Formula Lewis structure Geometry

H2 S

CCl4

BF3

XeF4

PCl5

BeF2

SF6

ClF3

NH3

BrF5

What I Have Learned

1. The overall shape of a molecule is described by bond lengths and bond angles.
2. The valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory states that the best
arrangement of a given number of chemical bonds or unshared electrons is the one
that minimizes the repulsion among them. It is a useful tool to predict the probable
shapes of molecules.

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 3. The valence bond theory explains how covalent bonds are formed by the overlapping
of atomic orbitals.
4. The electrons in a polar covalent bond are not equally shared by the bonded atoms
while those in a nonpolar covalent bond are equally shared.
5. Electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom in a molecule to attract
electrons toward itself; it is used to determine the nature of a bond and the polarity of
a covalent bond.
6. Electron affinity is a measure of the change in energy when an electron attaches itself
to a neutral atom to become a negatively charged ion.
7. A molecule that has polar bonds is not necessarily a polar molecule. A molecule is
polar if the centers of positive and negative charge do not coincide or are separate.

What I Can Do

PERFORMANCE TASK

Directions: Read and understand the information given below, make a creative written output
in the form of a project proposal.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD:
Illustrate the geometry of simple compounds
SITUATION: A School Science Expo is being held and you are asked to feature the different
geometry of compounds. When you draw the Lewis structure on a piece of paper and predict
the geometry of a molecule, the actual shape of the molecule is not clear. Molecular models
are used to easily visualize how molecules look and how they behave.
GOAL: Your goal is to build molecular models of different compounds using recycled materials.

ROLE: Exhibitor
PRODUCT: You will create 6 molecular models with different geometries.

AUDIENCE: Junior High school students

STANDARDS: Your work will be judged using the following criteria: concept, craftmanship,
completeness, uniqueness and originality and creativity.

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Rubrics in Molecular Model Making
Criteria 4 3 2 1 SCORE
Concept The geometry The geometry The Most parts
of the of the geometry of are incorrect
compound is compound is some and without
correct, correct and compounds proper label.
properly properly is incorrect
labelled and labeled. and not
attractive. properly
labeled.
Craftmanship The models The models The models The models
are neatly are neatly are neat but are not neat
done, done and not sturdy. and not
attractive and sturdy. sturdy.
well created.
Completeness There are There are 6 There are 3-5 Only 1-2
more than 6 models models models are
models represented. represented. represented.
represented.
Uniqueness Model is Model is Model has Lacks
and Originality unique and unique and some unique uniqueness
expressive. original. features but and
Evidence of lacks some originality.
detail and originality.
originality.
Creativity All the Uses Only few of Did not use
materials recyclable the materials recyclable
used are materials in used are materials.
recyclable. crafting the recyclable.
model.
TOTAL

Assessment

Directions: Read the question/statement carefully. Write the letter of the correct answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. What factors describe the geometry of a molecule?

A. bond length C. size of atoms and number of bonds
B. bond angle D. both A and B

2. It states that the best arrangement of a given number of chemical bonds or unshared
electrons is the one that minimizes the repulsion among them.
A. octet rule C. VSEPR theory
B. hybridization D. valence bond theory

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3. Which theory suggests that a bond is formed by the overlapping of atomic orbitals?
A. octet rule C. VSEPR theory
B. hybridization D. valence bond theory

4. Which is a tetrahedral molecule?

A. SF4 C. XeF4
B. SiH4 D. CO2

5. Which molecule is polar?

A. CS2 C. CCl4
B. PCl3 D. PF5

6. Which molecule is a nonpolar?

A. H2O C. BF3
B. NH3 D. CHCl3

7. From the electronegativity values, determine which of the following is an ionic

compound?
A. H2 C. IF
B. LiF D. SI

8. It is a measure of the tendency of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons toward itself.

A. electron affinity C. electron repulsion
B. electronegativity D. polarity

9. What is the geometry of ClF3?

A. angular C. trigonal planar
B. tetrahedral D. T-shaped

10. Arrange the following bonds in order of increasing polarity.

I – C-Cl II – Si-Cl III - Cl-Cl
A. I, II, III C. III, I, II
B. II, III, I D. III, II, I

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 10. A 5. OCTAHEDRAL
9. C 4. SEESAW
8. D 3. LINEAR
7. B 2. ANGULAR
6. D 1. TETRAHEDRAL
5. C What’s In
4. B
3. B
2. C
1. A
What I Know

References
Davis, Raymond E., et.al, Modern Chemistry. Austin, Texas: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
2002.
Bayquen, Aristea V., et.al, Exploring Life Through Science Series Senior High School General
Chemistry 2. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. 2016.
Barrameda, Ma. Corazon, et.al, Teaching Guide for Senior High School General Chemistry 2.
Quezon City: EC-TEC Commercial. 2016.
Padolina, Ma. Cristina D., et.al, Conceptual and Functional Chemistry-Modular Approach.
Quezon City: Vibal Publishing House, Inc. 2010.
Ilao, Luciana V., et.al, General Chemistry 2. Manila: Rex Book Store. 2017
Petrucci, Harwood, Herring, and Madura. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern
Applications. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2007.

Online References
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Book%3A_The_Basics_of_
GOB_Chemistry_(Ball_et_al.)/04%3A_Covalent_Bonding_and_Simple_Molecular_Com
pounds/4.02%3A_Covalent_Compounds_-_Formulas_and_Names

https://www.chemistrylibrary.org/2019/07/covalent-bond.html
https://doubtnut.com/question-answer-chemistry/a-molecule-of-ammonia-nh3-has-28376962

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 For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Schools Division of Laoag City

Curriculum Implementation Division
Brgy. 23 San Matias, Laoag City, 2900
Contact Number: (077)-771-3678
Email Address: laoag.city@deped.gov.ph

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