QQuestionChemistry
QuestionChemistry
"In the Lewis dot structure for NH^3, the central atom of the molecule has three atoms bonded to it and one lone pair of electrons.
The shape of an NH^3 molecule is:
A. bent
B. tetrahedral
C. trigonal planar
D. trigonal pyramidal"
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Answer
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Step 1:I'll solve this step by step using the specified LaTeX formatting guidelines:
Step 2:: Analyze the Molecular Structure
- Total valence electrons: $$5 + (3 \times 1) = 8$$ electrons
- The central atom in NH^3 (ammonia) is nitrogen (N) - Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons - Hydrogen atoms contribute 1 electron each
Step 3:: Determine Electron Arrangement
- Three hydrogen atoms are bonded to the nitrogen - One lone pair of electrons exists on the nitrogen atom - This creates a total of 4 electron domains around the central nitrogen atom
Step 4:: Apply VSEPR Theory
- With 3 bonding domains and 1 lone pair electron domain - The electron domain geometry is tetrahedral - The molecular geometry is determined by the actual atom positions
Step 5:: Identify Molecular Shape
- The lone pair causes slight distortion from perfect tetrahedral geometry - This results in a trigonal pyramidal shape - The bond angles are slightly less than 109.5° due to lone pair repulsion
Final Answer
Key Reasoning: - Lone pair pushes bonding pairs slightly closer together - Results in a pyramidal (not flat) molecular geometry - Characteristic of molecules like NH^3 with a central atom, bonded atoms, and a lone pair
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