Labs / Chemistry
Molecular Shapes
Every electron pair around a central atom wants to get as far from the others as it can. Add bonding pairs and lone pairs with the sliders, drag to spin the molecule, and watch the domains repel into the shape that VSEPR theory predicts — the readouts name the geometry, ideal angle, and hybridization.
Shape TetrahedralIdeal 109.5°Hybrid sp³θ now —
What to try
- Start with four bonding pairs and no lone pairs. Why does the "θ now" reading settle near 109.5° instead of the 90° you might have guessed?
- Keep four pairs total but convert them to two bonds and two lone pairs (water). Why does the measured bond angle shrink below the tetrahedral value?
- Compare CO₂ and H₂O — both have two bonds, so what makes one linear and the other bent?
- Push to five and six bonding pairs. Which angles appear now, and why can't every neighbor sit at the same angle?
- If lone pairs push harder than bonds, where would you expect them to sit in a trigonal bipyramid — the crowded equator or the roomy poles?