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VSEPR

- Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory predicts molecular geometry based on minimizing repulsions between electron pairs around a central atom - Molecular geometry can be linear, trigonal planar, tetrahedral, trigonal bipyramidal, octahedral depending on the number of electron pairs - The presence of lone pairs causes some distortion from the regular geometries due to their stronger repulsions compared to bonding pairs

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61 views14 pages

VSEPR

- Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory predicts molecular geometry based on minimizing repulsions between electron pairs around a central atom - Molecular geometry can be linear, trigonal planar, tetrahedral, trigonal bipyramidal, octahedral depending on the number of electron pairs - The presence of lone pairs causes some distortion from the regular geometries due to their stronger repulsions compared to bonding pairs

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agraharirajiv33
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 Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) Theory:

The VSEPR theory, proposed by R.J.Gillespie and R.S. Nyholmm in 1957, is based
on the repulsions between the electron-pairs in the valence-shell of the atoms in the
molecule. It was developed to predict the shapes of the molecules in which the atoms
are bonded together with single bonds only.

The main postulates of VSEPR theory are:


i. The shape of the molecule is determined by both the total number of electron pairs
(bonding and non-bonding) around the molecules central atom and the orientation
of these electron pairs in the space around the central atom.
ii. In order to minimize the repulsion forces between them, electron pairs around
central atom, tend to stay as far away from each other as possible.
iii. Electron pairs around the molecule's central atom can be shared or can be lone pairs.
The 'shared pairs' of electrons are also called bond pairs of electrons. The presence
of lone pair(s) of electrons on the central atom causes some distortions in the
expected regular shape of the molecule.
iv. The strength of repulsions between different electron pairs follows the order:
Lone pair - Lone pair > Lone pair – Bond pair > Bond pair - Bond pair.
 Prediction of molecular geometry on the basis of VSEPR
theory:
i. Molecule with two bond pairs: In a molecule having two
bond pairs of electrons around its central atom, the bond
pairs are located on the opposite sides (at an angle of 180o)
so that the repulsion between them is minimum. Such
molecules are therefore linear. Some molecules, which show
linear geometry are: BeF2 (beryllium fluoride),
BeCl2(Beryllium chloride), BeH2 (beryllium hydride),
ZnCl2 (zinc chloride), and HgCl2(mercuric chloride)
ii. Molecules with three bond pairs:
• In a molecule having three bond pairs of electrons around its
central atom, the electron pairs form an equilateral triangular
arrangement around the central atom. These molecules have
trigonal planar (or triangular planar) shape and the three bond
pairs are at 120°C with respect of each other
• Some molecules that show triangular planar geometry are
BCl3, BF3, BH3 etc.

• borontrihydride is a trigonal planar molecule


iii. Molecules with four bond pairs:
• Molecule having four bond pairs of electrons around
the central atom, arrange their electrons tetrahedral.
These molecules have tetrahedral shapes and the four
bond pairs are at an angle of 109°28' with respect to
each other. Some molecules which show tetrahedral
geometry are CH4, CCl4, NH4+, SiH4 etc.
iv. Molecules with five bond pairs:
• . A molecule having five bond pairs around its central
atom has a triangular bipyramidal shape. Three bond
pairs are arranged in an equatorial triangular plane and
are oriented at an angle of 120° with respect to each
other. The other two bond pairs are opposite to each
other, and at right angles to the triangular plane formed
by the three bond pairs. Some other molecules, which
show trigonal bipyramidal geometry are; PCl5, PF5,
SbCl5.
• PCl5 has a trigonal bipyramidal shape.
v. Molecules with six bond pairs:
• SA molecule having six bond pairs around its
central atom has an octahedral shape. In a molecule
of the type AB6, the six 'B' atoms are placed
octahedrally around 'A'. Thus, the molecules of the
type AB6 are octahedral.
The molecule SF6 has an octahedral geometry
• AB6 type molecules are octahedral in shape.
SF6 molecule has an octahedral geometry.
IF7
Shapes of the molecules having bond pairs and lone pairs of electrons

Molecules with two bond pairs and two lone pairs:


• The four electron pairs (two bond pairs + two lone pairs) are
distributed tetrahedrally around the central atom as shown below.
The two lone pairs on the central atom repel the bond pair slightly
inwards due to greater lone pair-bond pair repulsion. As a result, the
bond angle in such a molecule is less than the tetrahedral value of
109°28'. The presence of only two bonds in the molecules gives a bent
(V-shaped) structure.

• Examples include H2S, H2O, F2O and SCl2.


H2O: Bent (V-shaped) structure. O has 6 electrons in its outermost shell. 2H-atoms
contribute 2 electrons during bonding. Thus, there are 8 electrons or 4 electron pairs
around O. This gives a tetrahedral distribution of electron pairs around O. The two
corners of the tetrahedron are occupied by H-atoms and the other two by the lone-pairs
of electrons. Thus, H2O is a bent or angular structure molecule. Since lone pair exerts
greater repulsion than the bonded pairs, the bond angle is less than the regular tetrahedral
bond angle (109028’). Actual bond angle is found to be 104.50
vii. Molecules with three bond pair and one lone pair:
In NH3, the central atom contains four effective electron pairs but
only three of them are bonded pairs. Since one the electron pair is
the lone pair, the molecule will have trigonal pyramidal geometry.
Since, lone pair exerts greater repulsion than the bonded pair, then
bond angle is less than expected in regular tetrahedral bond angle
(109028’). Actual bond angle is found to be 107.30 .

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