Molecular Geomerty

Predicting the Shapes of
Molecules
write down three key
RECALL differences between
ionic and covalent
compounds
valence shell electron pair repulsion
(VSEPR)
• Molecules have shapes. There is an abundance of
experimental evidence to that effect—from their physical
properties to their chemical reactivity. Small molecules—
molecules with a single central atom—have shapes that
can be easily predicted. The basic idea in molecular
shapes is called valence shell electron pair repulsion
(VSEPR).
valence shell electron pair repulsion
(VSEPR)
• It basically says that electron pairs, being composed of
negatively charged particles, repel each other to get as
far away from each other as possible. VSEPR makes a
distinction between electron group geometry, which
expresses how electron groups (bonds and nonbonding
electron pairs) are arranged, and molecular geometry,
which expresses how the atoms in a molecule are
arranged. However, the two geometries are related.
There are two types of electron groups:
any type of bond—single, double, or
triple—and lone electron pairs.
When applying VSEPR to simple

molecules, the first thing to do is to count
the number of electron groups around the
central atom. Remember that a multiple
bond counts as only one electron group.
LINEAR
• Any molecule with only two atoms is linear. A molecule
whose central atom contains only two electron groups
orients those two groups as far apart from each other as
possible—180° apart.
• When the two electron groups are 180° apart, the atoms
attached to those electron groups are also 180° apart,
so the overall molecular shape is linear. Examples
include BeH2 and CO2:
LINEAR
The two molecules, shown in the figure below in a "ball and

stick" model.
TRIGONAL PLANAR
A molecule with three electron groups
orients the three groups as far apart as
possible. They adopt the positions of an
equilateral triangle—120° apart and in a
plane. The shape of such molecules
is trigonal planar.
TRIGONAL
PLANAR
trigonal
planar
An example
is BF3
BENT OR ANGULAR
Some substances have a trigonal planar electron group distribution but
have atoms bonded to only two of the three electron groups. An example
is GeF2:
From an electron group geometry perspective, GeF2 has a trigonal

planar shape, but its real shape is dictated by the positions of the
atoms. This shape is called bent or angular.
TETRAHEDRAL
A molecule with four electron groups about the central atom
orients the four groups in the direction of a tetrahedron, as
shown in Figure 15.5.115.5.1 Tetrahedral Geometry. If there are
four atoms attached to these electron groups, then the molecular
shape is also tetrahedral. Methane (CH4) is an example.
TETRAHEDRAL
This diagram of CH4 illustrates the

standard convention of displaying a
three-dimensional molecule on a two-
dimensional surface. The straight lines
are in the plane of the page, the solid
wedged line is coming out of the plane
toward the reader, and the dashed
wedged line is going out of the plane
away from the reader.
TETRAHEDRAL
TRIGONAL PYRAMIDAL
NH3 is an example of a molecule whose central atom has
four electron groups but only three of them are bonded to
surrounding atoms.
Although the electron groups are oriented in the shape of a

tetrahedron, from a molecular geometry perspective, the shape of
NH3 is trigonal pyramidal.
H2O is an example of a molecule whose central atom has
four electron groups but only two of them are bonded to
surrounding atoms.
Although the electron groups are oriented in the shape of a tetrahedron,

the shape of the molecule is bent or angular. A molecule with four
electron groups about the central atom but only one electron group
bonded to another atom is linear because there are only two atoms in the
molecule.
Double or triple bonds count as a single electron group.
CH2O has the following Lewis electron dot diagram.
The central C atom has

three electron groups
around it because the
double bond counts as one
electron group. The three
electron groups repel each
other to adopt a trigonal
planar shape:
Example
What is the approximate shape of
each molecule?
1.PCl3
2.NOF
Solution
For PCl3, the electron dot diagram is as follows:
The lone electron pairs on the Cl atoms are omitted for clarity.
The P atom has four electron groups with three of them
bonded to surrounding atoms, so the molecular shape is
trigonal pyramidal.
Solution
• The electron dot diagram for NOF is as follows:
• The N atom has three electron groups on it, two of which are
bonded to other atoms. The molecular shape is bent.
Exercise
1. What is the approximate molecular shape
of CH2Cl2?
2. Ethylene (C2H4) has two central atoms.
Determine the geometry around each
central atom and the shape of the overall
molecule. Hint, hydrogen is a terminal
atom.
Solution
1. Tetrahedral
2. Trigonal planar about both central C atoms
SUMMARY
The approximate shape of a molecule

can be predicted from the number of
electron groups and the number of
surrounding atoms.

Molecular Geomerty

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Molecular Geomerty

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Predicting the Shapes of

When applying VSEPR to simple

The two molecules, shown in the figure below in a "ball and

From an electron group geometry perspective, GeF2 has a trigonal

This diagram of CH4 illustrates the

Although the electron groups are oriented in the shape of a

Although the electron groups are oriented in the shape of a tetrahedron,

The central C atom has

The approximate shape of a molecule

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