MOLECULAR

GEOMETRY
Presented by:
Loreen Jane D. Abogado
MAEd Physical Science
OBJECTIVES
◎ Explained covalent bonding;
◎ Predicted and written the Lewis structure of covalent
compounds;
◎ Applied the valence shell electron pair repulsion
theory (VSEPR) in predicting the shape/geometry of
molecules;
◎ Constructed models of covalent compounds using
manipulatives (e.g. molecular kit) and
◎ Made cartolina-toothpick molecular models
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1.
COVALENT BONDING

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Key differences between ionic and covalent bonding:

1. Ionic bond forms between a metal and nonmetal.

Covalent bonds usually form between non-metals.
2. Ionic bonds involve electron transfer. Covalent bonds
involve electron sharing.
3. Ionic compounds do not contain discrete molecules.
Covalent compounds has a molecule as its basic
structural unit.
Key differences between ionic and covalent bonding:

4. All ionic compounds are solids at room temperature.

Covalent compounds are varied.

5. Soluble ionic solids for aqueous solutions that conduct

electricity. Soluble covalent compounds usually produce
a nonconducting aqueous solution.
COVALENT BOND
◎ A chemical bond resulting from two nuclei attracting the same
shared electrons .
◎ Electron sharing can occur only when electron orbitals from two
different atoms overlap.
◎ Produces increased stability.

A Hydrogen Molecule
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Lewis Notation
◎ The two shared electrons do double duty, helping
each hydrogen atom achieve a helium-gas
configuration.

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Lewis Dot Structures
◎ Created by Gilbert Lewis in 1916.
◎ Shows structural formulas for compounds
- Arrangement of atoms and bonds within a compound
◎ Uses valence electrons
◎ One dot = one valence electron
◎ One dash = a covalent bond = two electrons

Structural formula for

Methane, CH4
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Lewis Dot Structures

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Practice

How many dots will the following elements contain?

◎ Fluorine

◎ Boron

◎ Carbon

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 Practice

How many dots will the following elements contain?

◎ Fluorine
7
◎ Boron
3
◎ Carbon
4
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LEWIS STRUCTURES OF MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS

◎ Useful in visualizing the electron sharing associated

with covalent bond formation.
◎ It shows how valence electrons are arranged among
atoms in a molecule.
◎ Lewis structures reflect the idea that stability of a
compound relates to the octet rule.
◎ Shared electrons pairs are covalent bonds and can be
represented by two dots (:) or by a single line ( - )
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Fluorine located in Group VIIA of the periodic table has seven valence
electrons.

Fluorine needs only one electron to achieve the octet of electrons that
enables it to have a noble-gas electron configuration. When the Fluorine
bonds to other non-metals, the octet of electrons is completed by means of
electrons sharing.
HF
F2
BrF
The HF and BrF molecules illustrate the point that the two atoms involved in
a covalent bond need not be identical.
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Lewis Structures for Molecular Compound

◎ Bonding Electrons
- Pairs of valence electrons that are shared between
atoms in a covalent bond.
- Represent the shared electron pairs with dashes.

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Lewis Structures for Molecular Compound

◎ Nonbonding Electrons
- Pairs of valence electrons on an atom that are not
involved in electron sharing.
- Also referred to as unshared electron pairs, lone
electron pairs, or lone pairs.

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Practice: How many nonbonding electron pairs are present in each of
the following Lewis structures?

8 4

0 6 16
◎ Triatomic molecules
◎ The hydrogen content of these molecules is correlated directly with the fact that:
○ Oxygen has six valence electrons and need two electrons
○ Nitrogen has five valence electrons and need three electrons
○ Carbon has four valence electrons and need four electrons

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Using the Octet Rule to Predict the Formulas of Simple Molecular
Compounds
a. Nitrogen and Iodine
-Nitrogen is in Group VA of the periodic table and has five valence electrons. It will need
to form three covalent bonds to achieve an octet of electrons,
-Iodine, in Group VIIA, has seven valence electrons and will need to form only one
covalent bond in order to have an octet of electrons.
-Therefore, three Iodine atoms will be needed to meet the needs of one Nitrogen atom.

- Each atom in NI3 has an octet of electrons.

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b. Sulfur and hydrogen
-Sulfur has six valence electrons and hydrogen has one valence
electron.
-Sulfur will form two covalent bonds (6+2= 8)
-Hydrogen will form one covalent bond (1+1 = 2)
Remember that for hydrogen, an “octet” is two electrons and mimics
the noble gas Helium.

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Practice
Draw Lewis Structures for the simplest binary compounds that can
be formed from the following pairs of nonmetals.

a. Phosphorus and hydrogen

b. Oxygen and Chlorine

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Practice
Draw Lewis Structures for the simplest binary compounds that can
be formed from the following pairs of nonmetals.

a. Phosphorus and hydrogen

b. Oxygen and Chlorine

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SINGLE, DOUBLE AND TRIPLE COVALENT BONDS

SINGLE BOND
- a covalent bond in which two atoms
share one pair of electrons.
DOUBLE BOND
- a covalent bond in which two atoms
share two pairs of electron.
TRIPLE BOND
- A covalent bond in which two atoms
share three pairs of electrons
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Valence Electrons and Number of Covalent Bonds Formed

◎ There is a strong tendency for atoms of non-metallic

elements to form a specific number of covalent bonds.
◎ The number of bonds formed is equal to the number
of electrons the non-metallic atom must share to
obtain an octet of electrons.
◎ Octet Rule- refers to the tendency of atoms to prefer
to have eight electrons in the valence shell.

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Valence Electrons and Number of Covalent Bonds Formed

Oxygen (6 Valence Electrons, 2 Octet Vacancies)

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Valence Electrons and Number of Covalent Bonds Formed

Nitrogen (5 Valence Electrons, 3 Octet Vacancies)

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Valence Electrons and Number of Covalent Bonds Formed

Carbon (4 Valence Electrons, 4 Octet Vacancies)

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Coordinate Covalent Bonds

◎ A covalent bond in which both electrons of a shared

pair come from one of the two atoms involved in the
bond.
◎ Enables an atom that has two or more vacancies in its
valence shell to share a pair of non-bonding electrons
that are located on another atom.

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Coordinate Covalent Bonds

Comparison of HOCl and HClO2

◎ In HOCl, all the bonds are “ordinary” covalent bonds.

◎ In HClO2, the “new” chlorine-oxygen bond is a 28
Coordinate Covalent Bonds
Formation of a “Regular” Covalent Bond vs a Coordinate
Covalent Bond

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Coordinate Covalent Bonds

◎ Atoms participating in coordinate covalent bonds

generally do not form their normal number of covalent
bonds.
◎ Once a coordinate covalent bond forms, it is
indistinguishable from other covalent bonds in a
molecule.

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SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURES FOR DRAWING LEWIS
STRUCTURES

Step 1: Calculate the total number of valence electrons

available in the molecule by adding together the valence
electron counts for all atoms in the molecule. (Use the periodic
table)
Example:
SO2 molecule has 18 valence electrons available for bonding.
- Sulfur (Group VIA) has 6 valence electrons.
- Each oxygen (Group VI A) has 6 valence electrons.
- Therefore, 6 + 2(6) = 18.
SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURES FOR DRAWING LEWIS
STRUCTURES
Step 2: Write the chemical symbols of the atoms in the
molecule in the order in which they are bonded to one
another, and then place a single covalent bond, involving
two electrons, between each pair of bonded atoms.
- Determine central atom- usually atom that appears
only once in the formula
Example:
For SO2, the S atom is the central atom.

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SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURES FOR DRAWING LEWIS
STRUCTURES

Step 3: Add non-bonding electron pairs to the structure

such that each atom bonded to the central atom has an
octet of electrons. Remember that for hydrogen, an
“octet” is only 2 electrons.
Example:
For SO2, addition of the nonbonding electrons gives

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SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURES FOR DRAWING LEWIS
STRUCTURES

Step 4: Place any remaining electrons on the central

atom of the structure.
Example:
Placing the two electrons on the S gives

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SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURES FOR DRAWING LEWIS
STRUCTURES
Step 5: If there are not enough electrons to give the
central atom an octet, then use one or more pairs of
nonbonding electrons on the atoms bonded to the
central atom to form double or triple bonds.
Example:
The S atom has only six electrons. Thus, a nonbonding
electron pair from an O atom is used to form a sulfur-
oxygen double bond.

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SYSTEMATIC PROCEDURES FOR DRAWING LEWIS
STRUCTURES
Step 6: Count the total number of electrons in the
completed Lewis structure to make sure it is equal to the
total number of valence electrons available for bonding,
as calculated in Step 1. (Serves as a double-check)
Example:
For SO2, there are 18 valence electrons in the Lewis
structure of Step 5, the same calculated in Step 1.

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Bonding in Compounds with Polyatomic Ions Present

◎ Lewis Structure of Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4)

◎ Polyatomic ion charge is not localized on a particular

atom but rather is associated with the ion as a whole.
◎ It is customary to use brackets and show ionic charge
outside the brackets
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2.
MOLECULAR
GEOMETRY

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Molecular Geometry

◎ A description of the three-dimensional

arrangement of atoms within a molecule.
◎ An important factor in determining the
physical and chemical properties of a
substance.
VSEPR Theory

◎ VSEPR: Valence Shell Electron-Pair Repulsion.

◎ A set of procedures for predicting the molecular geometry
of a molecule using the information contained in the
molecule’s Lewis structure.
◎ The structure around a given atom is determined
principally by minimizing electron pair repulsions.

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VSEPR Electron Group

◎ A collection of valence electrons present in a localized

region about the central atom in a molecule.
◎ The four electrons in a double bond or the six electrons
in a triple bond are localized in the region between two
bonded atoms in a manner similar to the two electron of
a single bond.

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Steps to Apply the VSEPR Model

1. Draw the Lewis structure for the molecule and identify the
specific atom for which geometrical information is desired
(usually central atom).

2. Determine the number of VSEPR electron groups present about

the central atom.
a. No distinction is made between bonding and nonbonding electron
groups. Both are counted.
b. Single, double, and triple bonds are all counted equally as “one
electron group” because each takes up only region of space about a
central atom.
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3. Predict the VSEPR electron group arrangement
about the atom by assuming that the electron groups
orient themselves in a manner that minimizes
repulsions.

Arrangements of valence electron pairs about a central atom that minimize

repulsion between the pairs.

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Molecules with Two VSEPR Electron Groups
◎ All molecules with two VSEPR electron groups are linear.

CO2 and HCN

◎ In CO2, the central carbon atom’s two VSEPR electron groups are
two double bonds.
◎ In HCN, the central carbon atom’s two VSPER electron groups are
a single bond and a triple bond.
◎ In both molecules, the VSEPR electron groups arrange
themselves on opposite sides of the carbon atom, which
produces a linear molecule.
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Molecules with Three VSEPR Electron Groups

◎ Molecules with three VSEPR electron group have

two possible molecular structures: trigonal planar
and angular.
◎ Trigonal Planar- all three VSEPR electron groups
are bonding.
◎ Angular- one of the three VSEPR electron groups is
nonbonding.

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Molecules with Three VSEPR Electron Groups

◎ In both molecules, the VSEPR electron groups are found at the

corners of an equilateral triangle.

H2CO (formaldehyde) and SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide)

◎ The shape of the SO2 molecule is described as angular rather
than trigonal planar, because molecular geometry describes only
atom positions. Although the positions of nonbonding electron
groups are not taken into account, this does not mean that
nonbonding electron groups are unimportant in molecular
geometry determinations. 46
Molecules with Four VSEPR Electron Groups

◎ Molecules with four VSEPR electron groups have

three possible molecular geometry: tetrahedral,
trigonal pyramidal and angular.
◎ Tetrahedral- no nonbonding electrons present.
◎ Trigonal pyramidal- one nonbonding group is
present.
◎ Angular- two nonbonding groups are present.

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 CH4 (methane), NH3 (ammonia), and H2O (water)
◎ In all three molecules, the VSEPR electron groups arrange
themselves at the corners of tetrahedron
◎ Note: the word use to describe the geometry of the molecule does
not take into account the positioning of non-bonding electron
group. 48
Molecules with More Than One Central Atom
◎ The molecular shape of molecules that contain more than one
central atom can be obtained by considering each central atom
separately and then combining the result.

◎ These three molecules thus have, respectively, zero bend, two bends,
and one bend in their four-atom chain.

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Using the VSEPR theory, predict the molecular geometry of the
molecule:

1. NCl3

3 bonding, 1 nonbonding (Trigonal Pyramidal)

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Using the VSEPR theory, predict the molecular geometry of the
molecule:

2. SiCl4 (Silicon Tetrachloride)

4 bonding (Tetrahedral)

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Using the VSEPR theory, predict the molecular geometry of the
molecule:

3. H2Se (Hydrogen Selenide)

2 nonbonding, 2 bonding (Angular)

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Electronegativity

◎ The ability of an atom in a molecule to attract shared

electrons to itself.
◎ A measure of relative attraction that an atom has for
the shared electrons in a bond.
◎ On the periodic table, electronegativity generally
increases across a period and decreases down a
group.

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Bond Polarity

◎ Nonpolar Covalent Bond

- a covalent bond in which there is
equal sharing of electrons between two
atoms.
◎ Polar Covalent Bond
- a covalent bon in which there is
unequal sharing of electrons between
two atoms.

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Polar Covalent Bond

◎ It creates fractional positive and negative charges on

atoms.
◎ Electrons spend more time near the more
electronegative atom of the bond and less time near
the less electronegative atom of the bond.

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Bond Polarity

◎ Bond Polarity
- A measure of the degree of inequality in the sharing of
electrons between two atoms in a chemical bond.
- The greater the electronegativity difference between
the two bonded atoms, the greater the polarity of the
bond.

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Molecular Polarity

◎ A measure of the degree of inequality in the attraction

of bonding electrons to various locations within a
molecule.
◎ Polar molecule- a molecule in which there is an
unsymmetrical distribution of electron charge.
◎ Nonpolar molecule- a molecule in which there is a
symmetrical distribution of electron charge.

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Polar Molecules: H2O and HCN

◎ For H20, the bond polarities associated with the two

hydrogen-oxygen bonds do not cancel one another
because of the non-linearity of the molecule.
◎ For HCN, nitrogen is more electronegative than
hydrogen.

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Nonpolar Molecule: CO2

◎ The effects of two polar bonds are cancelled as a result

of the oxygen atoms being arranged symmetrically
around the carbon atom.

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END. THANK YOU

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