Thread: a simple question

I am confused on the electronic and molecular geometry. My question is to indicate the central atom hydridization and electronic geometry for H2C, NF3, KrF2, D2O, SeF6. and indicate the central atom hybridization and molecular geometry for SO2, ClO3-1, XeF4, NH2-1, and CO2. I am manily confused on the difference with electronic and molecular geometry....PLEASE HELP!!!!

I have got that H2C = 0 and on second question that XeF4 =sp3 NH2-1 = 0 and CO2= sp and is linear. I just need a push in the right direction. I wasn't explained how to do any of this and am not very confident in my answers.

Originally Posted by mah6560

I am confused on the electronic and molecular geometry. My question is to indicate the central atom hydridization and electronic geometry for H2C, NF3, KrF2, D2O, SeF6. and indicate the central atom hybridization and molecular geometry for SO2, ClO3-1, XeF4, NH2-1, and CO2. I am manily confused on the difference with electronic and molecular geometry....PLEASE HELP!!!!

I have got that H2C = 0 and on second question that XeF4 =sp3 NH2-1 = 0 and CO2= sp and is linear. I just need a push in the right direction. I wasn't explained how to do any of this and am not very confident in my answers.

Is possible? :?

Well, I can give you this for now... Electronic and molecular geometry are nearly the same. Molecularly and don't have the same geometry because they have different numbers of bonds. However electronically they will basically have the same geometry because they both have 4 pairs of electrons. Electronically they are both tetrahedral. Does that help any?

Originally Posted by Chemboy

Well, I can give you this for now... Electronic and molecular geometry are nearly the same. Molecularly and don't have the same geometry because they have different numbers of bonds. However electronically they will basically have the same geometry because they both have 4 pairs of electrons. Electronically they are both tetrahedral. Does that help any?

This is getting a bit off topic, but actually H2O is not a tetrahedral sp3 hybrid; that's an unfortunate myth that appears in many general chemistry textbooks. In H2O there's no hybridization between the s and p orbitals on the oxygen, just a sigma bond between the s orbital on each hydrogen and a p orbital on the oxygen. Based on the electronic structure of the bond, it "wants" there to be a 90 degree angle between the atoms. It's only around 109 degrees because the hydrogens can't actually get that close together without bumpping up against each other, so they have to move apart a little. The fact that the angle ends up being about the same as an sp3 hybrid is just a coincidence. H2S (exactly the same electronic structure) is 90 degrees, because the sulfur is bigger and therefor the hydrogens can be farther apart when at 90 degrees.

But the geometry does still turn out to be roughly tetrahedral, right? I didn't imply that water exhibits sp³ bonding, I know it doesn't... maybe you weren't implying that I did. How accurate was my post overall, was it at least an ok look at molecular/electronic geometry?

Sorry, you're right, looking back I see that you didn't actually say that water is an sp3 hybrid - I should have read more carefully.