QQuestionChemistry
QuestionChemistry
What is the molecular geometry, or shape, of chloroform (CHCl3)?
A. tetrahedral
B. trigonal pyramidal
C. linear
D. trigonal planar
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Answer
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Step 1:Let's solve this step by step:
Step 2:: Determine the central atom
- In chloroform (CHCl3), carbon (C) is the central atom - Carbon has 4 valence electrons and forms 4 bonds in this molecule
Step 3:: Count the number of electron domains around the central carbon
- 1 bond to hydrogen (H) - 3 bonds to chlorine (Cl) - Total of 4 electron domains around the carbon atom
Step 4:: Analyze electron domain geometry
- 4 electron domains around a central atom - This corresponds to a tetrahedral electron domain geometry - All electron domains are bonding domains (no lone pairs)
Step 5:: Determine molecular geometry
- When all electron domains are bonding domains - The molecular shape matches the electron domain geometry - In this case, the molecular geometry is tetrahedral
Step 6:: Visualize the molecular structure
- Carbon at the center - Hydrogen and three chlorine atoms arranged at the vertices of a tetrahedron - Bond angles are approximately 109.5°
Final Answer
The key reasoning is that CHCl^3 has 4 electron domains around the central carbon atom, resulting in a perfect tetrahedral molecular geometry.
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