MOLECULAR SHAPES

COURSE OUTCOME 3
MOLECUAR SHAPES
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion
• predicts the shapes of many molecules and polyatomic ions but provides no
information about bond lengths or the presence of multiple bonds.
Electron – Pair Geometry(EPG)
• A molecule can be described in terms of the distribution of the bonding pair
electrons (bp) and lone pair electrons (lp) about the central atom:
Molecular Geometry (MG)
• Central Atoms Surrounded Only by Single-Bond Pairs

CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 2

RESONANCE
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion
• predicts the shapes of many molecules and polyatomic ions but provides no
information about bond lengths or the presence of multiple bonds.
Electron – Pair Geometry(EPG)
• A molecule can be described in terms of the distribution of the bonding pair
electrons (bp) and lone pair electrons (lp) about the central atom:
Molecular Geometry (MG)
• Central Atoms Surrounded Only by Single-Bond Pairs

CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 3

VSEPR
Predicting Molecular (or Ion) Shape
1. Write the Lewis structure
2. Count the number of electron domains around the central atom to determine the
arrangement minimizing repulsion
3. Describe the molecular geometry in terms of the arrangement of the bonding
domains.
4. Double bonds are counted as one domain for determining molecular shape and
triple bonds are counted as two domains for determining molecular shape.

CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 4

ELECTRON GEOMETRY
2 total
2 bond B A B

0 lone

BeH2 LINEAR 180°

CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 5

ELECTRON GEOMETRY
3 total
3 bond B

0 lone A

B B

BF3
TRIGONAL PLANAR
120°
CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 6
ELECTRON GEOMETRY
4 total B

4 bond
A
0 lone B
B

CH4
TETRAHEDRAL
109.5°
CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 7
 ELECTRON GEOMETRY
5 total Ba

5 bond
Be
0 lone A Be

Be

Ba

PCl5 TRIGONAL BIPYRAMIDAL

120°/90°
CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 8
ELECTRON GEOMETRY
6 total B

6 bond B
B
A
B
B

0 lone B

SF6
OCTAHEDRAL90°
CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 9
HYBRIDIZATION & BOND
ANGLES
Total bonds + lone e- pairs
total bonds + Electron
Hybridization Bond Angles
e- pairs Geometry
sp 2 Linear 180
sp2 3 Trigonal Planar 120
sp3 4 Tetrahedral 109.5
Trigonal
sp3d 5 90,120
Bipyramidal
sp3d2 6 Octahedral 90

CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 10

HYBRIDIZATION & BOND
ANGLES

CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 11

Species Electron Geometry Molecular Geometry Hybridization Bond Angle

AX2 Linear Linear sp 180

AX3 RESONANCETrigonal Planar
Trigonal Planar sp2 120
AX2U Bent/Angular
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion
AX4 Tetrahedral
• predicts the shapes of many molecules and polyatomic ions but provides no
AX3U information about Trigonal
bond Pyramidal
lengths or the presence ofspmultiple bonds.
Tetrahedral 3
109.5
AX2U2 Electron – Pair Geometry(EPG) Bent/Angular
AXU3 • A molecule can be described Linear in terms of the distribution of the bonding pair
AX5 electrons (bp) and lone pair
Trigonal electrons (lp) about the central atom:
Bipyramidal
AX4U Molecular Geometry (MG) Seesaw
• Central
Trigonal Atoms Surrounded Only by Single-BondspPairs
Bipyramidal 3
d 120, 90
AX3U2 T-shaped
AX2U3 Linear
AX6 Octahedral
AX5U Octahedral
Square Pyramidal sp3d2 90
CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 12
AX4U2 Square Planar
EXAMPLES
1. ClF3
2. BeF2 1. BeH2
3. SF4 2. BF3
4. SO2 3. NH3
5. CH4 4. PCl5
5. SF6

CHM01 – General Chemistry 1 13