QQuestionChemistry
QuestionChemistry
What are the electron geometry and the molecular geometry of ammonia (NH3), respectively?
A. Tetrahedral, trigonal pyramidal
B. Tetrahedral, tetrahedral
C. Trigonal planar, bent
D. Tetrahedral, bent
E. None of the above
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Answer
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Step 1:
To determine the electron geometry of a molecule, we need to look at the number of electron groups around the central atom. In the case of ammonia (NH3), nitrogen is the central atom and it has 4 electron groups: three bonding pairs and one lone pair.
Step 2:
The electron geometry for a molecule with 4 electron groups is tetrahedral. However, the molecular geometry (which takes into account both bonding pairs and lone pairs) can be different.
Step 3:
For ammonia, there are 3 bonding pairs and 1 lone pair. The presence of the lone pair causes the molecule to have a distorted tetrahedral shape due to the repulsion between the lone pair and the bonding pairs.
Step 4:
This particular arrangement with 3 bonding pairs and 1 lone pair results in a trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry. Therefore, the answer is:
Final Answer
The electron geometry of ammonia (NH3) is tetrahedral, and the molecular geometry is trigonal pyramidal.
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