Chemical Bonding

Question 1

Why are the bond angles of ammonia (NH3) less than the typical tetrahedral shapes (which are typically 109.5 degrees)

Answer 1

The lone pair of electrons occupy more space than bond pairs (due to greater electron-electron repulsion)

Question 2

How could hybridization help us predict the bond length?

Answer 2

-p-orbitals extend longer than s-orbitals.
-Hybrid orbitals with more “s” characteristics have shorter bond distance

Question 3

How do you determine if a molecule has resonance structures?

Answer 3

any atom involved in resonance must have at least one p orbital or a lone pair of electrons that can either be sp or sp2 hybridized

Question 4

What is one of the things that resonance structures reflect about a molecule (in terms of electronegativity)?

Answer 4

It can show which atoms of the molecule have partial negative charge

Question 5

Does oxygen have the characteristics of sp3 or sp2 hybridization?

Answer 5

Both

Question 6

What are delocalized and localized electrons?

Answer 6

Delocalized electrons: lone pairs of electrons that participate in resonance and move
Localized electrons: lone pairs of electrons that don’t participate in resonance and don’t move