Chemical Bonding II:

Molecular Geometry and

Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals
Chapter 10

1
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Valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) model:

Predict the geometry of the molecule from the electrostatic

repulsions between the electron (bonding and nonbonding)
pairs.
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB2 2 0 linear linear

B B

2
0 lone pairs on central atom

Cl Be Cl

3
2 atoms bonded to central atom
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB2 2 0 linear linear

trigonal trigonal
AB3 3 0
planar planar

4
Boron Trifluoride

5
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB2 2 0 linear linear

trigonal trigonal
AB3 3 0
planar planar
AB4 4 0 tetrahedral tetrahedral

6
Methane

7
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB2 2 0 linear linear

trigonal trigonal
AB3 3 0
planar planar
AB4 4 0 tetrahedral tetrahedral
trigonal trigonal
AB5 5 0
bipyramidal bipyramidal

8
Phosphorus Pentachloride

9
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB2 2 0 linear linear

trigonal trigonal
AB3 3 0
planar planar
AB4 4 0 tetrahedral tetrahedral
trigonal trigonal
AB5 5 0
bipyramidal bipyramidal
AB6 6 0 octahedral octahedral

10
Sulfur Hexafluoride

11
12
lone-pair vs. lone-pair lone-pair vs. bonding- bonding-pair vs. bonding-
repulsion
> pair repulsion
> 13
pair repulsion
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

trigonal trigonal
AB3 3 0
planar planar
trigonal
AB2E 2 1 bent
planar

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VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB4 4 0 tetrahedral tetrahedral

trigonal
AB3E 3 1 tetrahedral
pyramidal

15
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB4 4 0 tetrahedral tetrahedral

trigonal
AB3E 3 1 tetrahedral
pyramidal

AB2E2 2 2 tetrahedral bent

16
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry
trigonal trigonal
AB5 5 0
bipyramidal bipyramidal
trigonal distorted
AB4E 4 1
bipyramidal tetrahedron

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VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry
trigonal trigonal
AB5 5 0
bipyramidal bipyramidal
trigonal distorted
AB4E 4 1
bipyramidal tetrahedron
trigonal
AB3E2 3 2 T-shaped
bipyramidal

18
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry
trigonal trigonal
AB5 5 0
bipyramidal bipyramidal
trigonal distorted
AB4E 4 1
bipyramidal tetrahedron
trigonal
AB3E2 3 2 T-shaped
bipyramidal
trigonal
AB2E3 2 3 linear
bipyramidal

19
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB6 6 0 octahedral octahedral

octahedral square
AB5E 5 1
pyramidal

20
VSEPR
# of atoms # lone
bonded to pairs on Arrangement of Molecular
Class central atom central atom electron pairs Geometry

AB6 6 0 octahedral octahedral

octahedral square
AB5E 5 1
pyramidal
square
AB4E2 4 2 octahedral
planar

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22
Predicting Molecular Geometry
1. Draw Lewis structure for molecule.
2. Count number of lone pairs on the central atom and
number of atoms bonded to the central atom.
3. Use VSEPR to predict the geometry of the molecule.

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Example 10.1
Use the VSEPR model to predict the geometry of the following
molecules and ions:

(a)AsH3

(b)OF2

(c)

(d)

(e)C2H4
Example 10.1
Strategy The sequence of steps in determining molecular
geometry is as follows:

Solution
(a)The Lewis structure of AsH3 is

There are four electron pairs around the central atom;

therefore, the electron pair arrangement is tetrahedral (see
Table 10.1).
Example 10.1
Recall that the geometry of a molecule is determined only by
the arrangement of atoms (in this case the As and H atoms).
Thus, removing the lone pair leaves us with three bonding
pairs and a trigonal pyramidal geometry, like NH3. We
cannot predict the HAsH angle accurately, but we know that
it is less than 109.5° because the repulsion of the bonding
electron pairs in the As—H bonds by the lone pair on As is
greater than the repulsion between the bonding pairs.

(b) The Lewis structure of OF2 is

There are four electron pairs around the central atom;

therefore, the electron pair arrangement is tetrahedral.
Example 10.1
Recall that the geometry of a molecule is determined only by
the arrangement of atoms (in this case the O and F atoms).
Thus, removing the two lone pairs leaves us with two
bonding pairs and a bent geometry, like H2O. We cannot
predict the FOF angle accurately, but we know that it must
be less than 109.5° because the repulsion of the bonding
electron pairs in the O−F bonds by the lone pairs on O is
greater than the repulsion between the bonding pairs.

(c) The Lewis structure of is

Example 10.1
There are four electron pairs around the central atom;
therefore, the electron pair arrangement is tetrahedral.
Because there are no lone pairs present, the arrangement of
the bonding pairs is the same as the electron pair
arrangement. Therefore, has a tetrahedral geometry
and the ClAlCl angles are all 109.5°.

(d) The Lewis structure of is

There are five electron pairs around the central I atom;

therefore, the electron pair arrangement is trigonal
bipyramidal. Of the five electron pairs, three are lone pairs
and two are bonding pairs.
Example 10.1
Recall that the lone pairs preferentially occupy the equatorial
positions in a trigonal bipyramid (see Table 10.2). Thus,
removing the lone pairs leaves us with a linear geometry for ,
that is, all three I atoms lie in a straight line.

(e) The Lewis structure of C2H4 is

The C=C bond is treated as though it were a single bond in the

VSEPR model. Because there are three electron pairs around
each C atom and there are no lone pairs present, the
arrangement around each C atom has a trigonal planar shape
like BF3, discussed earlier.
Example 10.1
Thus, the predicted bond angles in C2H4 are all 120°.

Comment
(1) The ion is one of the few structures for which the bond angle
(180°) can be predicted accurately even though the central
atom contains lone pairs.

(2) In C2H4, all six atoms lie in the same plane. The overall planar
geometry is not predicted by the VSEPR model, but we will see
why the molecule prefers to be planar later. In reality, the
angles are close, but not equal, to 120° because the bonds are
not all equivalent.
Dipole Moments and Polar Molecules

electron rich
electron poor
region
region

H F

 

=Qxr
Q is the charge
r is the distance between charges
1 D = 3.36 x 10-30 C m 31
Behavior of Polar Molecules

field off field on 32

Bond moments and resultant dipole moments in NH3 and NF3.

33
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Chemistry In Action: Microwave Ovens

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Example 10.2

Predict whether each of the following molecules has a dipole

moment:

(a)BrCl

(b)BF3 (trigonal planar)

(c)CH2Cl2 (tetrahedral)
Example 10.2
Strategy
Keep in mind that the dipole moment of a molecule depends on
both the difference in electronegativities of the elements
present and its geometry.

A molecule can have polar bonds (if the bonded atoms have
different electronegativities), but it may not possess a dipole
moment if it has a highly symmetrical geometry.
Example 10.2
Solution
(a) Because bromine chloride is diatomic, it has a linear
geometry. Chlorine is more electronegative than bromine (see
Figure 9.5), so BrCl is polar with chlorine at the negative end

Thus, the molecule does have a dipole moment. In fact,

all diatomic molecules containing different elements possess a
dipole moment.
Example 10.2
(b) Because fluorine is more electronegative than boron, each
B−F bond in BF3 (boron trifluoride) is polar and the three bond
moments are equal. However, the symmetry of a trigonal
planar shape means that the three bond moments exactly
cancel one another:

An analogy is an object that is pulled in the directions shown

by the three bond moments. If the forces are equal, the
object will not move. Consequently, BF3 has no dipole
moment; it is a nonpolar molecule.
Example 10.2
(c) The Lewis structure of CH2Cl2 (methylene chloride) is

This molecule is similar to CH4 in that it has an overall

tetrahedral shape. However, because not all the bonds are
identical, there are three different bond angles: HCH, HCCl, and
ClCCl. These bond angles are close to, but not equal to,
109.5°.
Example 10.2
Because chlorine is more electronegative than carbon,
which is more electronegative than hydrogen, the bond
moments do not cancel and the molecule possesses a
dipole moment:

Thus, CH2Cl2 is a polar molecule.

Change in Potential Energy of Two Hydrogen Atoms
as a Function of Their Distance of Separation

42
Change in electron density as two hydrogen atoms
approach each other.

43
Hybridization – mixing of two or more atomic
orbitals to form a new set of hybrid orbitals
1. Mix at least 2 nonequivalent atomic orbitals (e.g. s
and p). Hybrid orbitals have very different shape
from original atomic orbitals.
2. Number of hybrid orbitals is equal to number of
pure atomic orbitals used in the hybridization
process.
3. Covalent bonds are formed by:
a. Overlap of hybrid orbitals with atomic orbitals
b. Overlap of hybrid orbitals with other hybrid
orbitals 44
Formation of sp3 Hybrid Orbitals

45
Formation of Covalent Bonds in CH4

46
sp3-Hybridized N Atom in NH3

Predict correct
bond angle

47
Formation of sp Hybrid Orbitals

48
Formation of sp2 Hybrid Orbitals

49
How do I predict the hybridization of the central atom?
1. Draw the Lewis structure of the molecule.
2. Count the number of lone pairs AND the number of
atoms bonded to the central atom
# of Lone Pairs
+
# of Bonded Atoms Hybridization Examples
2 sp BeCl2

3 sp2 BF3

4 sp3 CH4, NH3, H2O

5 sp3d PCl5

6 sp3d2 SF6 50
51
Example 10.3
Determine the hybridization state of the central (underlined)
atom in each of the following molecules:

(a)BeH2

(b)AlI3

(c)PF3

Describe the hybridization process and determine the molecular

geometry in each case.
Example 10.3
Strategy The steps for determining the hybridization of the
central atom in a molecule are:

Solution
(a) The ground-state electron configuration of Be is 1s22s2 and
the Be atom has two valence electrons. The Lewis structure of
BeH2 is

H—Be—H
Example 10.3
There are two bonding pairs around Be; therefore, the electron
pair arrangement is linear. We conclude that Be uses sp hybrid
orbitals in bonding with H, because sp orbitals have a linear
arrangement (see Table 10.4). The hybridization process can
be imagined as follows. First, we draw the orbital diagram for
the ground state of Be:

By promoting a 2s electron to the 2p orbital, we get the excited

state:
Example 10.3
The 2s and 2p orbitals then mix to form two hybrid orbitals:

The two Be−H bonds are formed by the overlap of the Be sp

orbitals with the 1s orbitals of the H atoms. Thus, BeH2 is a
linear molecule.
Example 10.3
(b) The ground-state electron configuration of Al is [Ne]3s23p1.
Therefore, the Al atom has three valence electrons. The
Lewis structure of AlI3 is

There are three pairs of electrons around Al; therefore,

the electron pair arrangement is trigonal planar. We
conclude that Al uses sp2 hybrid orbitals in bonding with I
because sp2 orbitals have a trigonal planar arrangement.
The orbital diagram of the ground-state Al atom is
Example 10.3
By promoting a 3s electron into the 3p orbital we obtain the
following excited state:

The 3s and two 3p orbitals then mix to form three sp2 hybrid
orbitals:

The sp2 hybrid orbitals overlap with the 5p orbitals of I to form

three covalent Al−I bonds. We predict that the AlI3 molecule is
trigonal planar and all the IAlI angles are 120°.
Example 10.3
(c) The ground-state electron configuration of P is [Ne]3s23p3.
Therefore, P atom has five valence electrons. The Lewis
structure of PF3 is

There are four pairs of electrons around P; therefore, the

electron pair arrangement is tetrahedral. We conclude that
P uses sp3 hybrid orbitals in bonding to F, because sp3
orbitals have a tetrahedral arrangement. The hybridization
process can be imagined to take place as follows. The
orbital diagram of the ground-state P atom is
Example 10.3
By mixing the 3s and 3p orbitals, we obtain four sp3 hybrid
orbitals.

As in the case of NH3, one of the sp3 hybrid orbitals is used to

accommodate the lone pair on P. The other three sp3 hybrid
orbitals form covalent P−F bonds with the 2p orbitals of F. We
predict the geometry of the molecule to be trigonal pyramidal;
the F−F angle should be somewhat less than 109.5°.
Example 10.4
Describe the hybridization state of phosphorus in phosphorus
pentabromide (PBr5).
Example 10.4
Strategy Follow the same procedure shown in Example 10.3.

Solution The ground-state electron configuration of P is

[Ne]3s23p3. Therefore, the P atom has five valence electrons.
The Lewis structure of PBr5 is

There are five pairs of electrons around P; therefore, the

electron pair arrangement is trigonal bipyramidal. We conclude
that P uses sp3d hybrid orbitals in bonding to Br, because sp3d
hybrid orbitals have a trigonal bipyramidal arrangement.
Example 10.4
The hybridization process can be imagined as follows. The
orbital diagram of the ground-state P atom is

Promoting a 3s electron into a 3d orbital results in the following

excited state:
Example 10.4
Mixing the one 3s, three 3p, and one 3d orbitals generates five
sp3d hybrid orbitals:

These hybrid orbitals overlap the 4p orbitals of Br to form five

covalent P−Br bonds. Because there are no lone pairs on the P
atom, the geometry of PBr5 is trigonal bipyramidal.
sp2 Hybridization of Carbon

64
Unhybridized 2pz orbital (gray), which is perpendicular
to the plane of the hybrid (green) orbitals.

65
Bonding in Ethylene, C2H4

Sigma bond () – electron density between the 2 atoms

Pi bond () – electron density above and below plane of nuclei
of the bonding atoms 66
Sigma () and Pi Bonds ()

Single bond 1 sigma bond

Double bond 1 sigma bond and 1 pi bond

Triple bond 1 sigma bond and 2 pi bonds

67
Another View of  Bonding in Ethylene, C2H4

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sp Hybridization of Carbon

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Bonding in Acetylene, C2H2

70
Another View of the Bonding in Acetylene, C2H2

71
Example 10.5
Describe the bonding in the formaldehyde molecule whose
Lewis structure is

Assume that the O atom is sp2-hybridized.

Example 10.5
Strategy Follow the procedure shown in Example 10.3.

Solution There are three pairs of electrons around the C atom;

therefore, the electron pair arrangement is trigonal planar.
(Recall that a double bond is treated as a single bond in the
VSEPR model.) We conclude that C uses sp2 hybrid orbitals in
bonding, because sp2 hybrid orbitals have a trigonal planar
arrangement. We can imagine the hybridization processes for
C and O as follows:
Example 10.5
Carbon has one electron in each of the three sp2 orbitals, which
are used to form sigma bonds with the H atoms and the O
atom. There is also an electron in the 2pz orbital, which forms a
pi bond with oxygen. Oxygen has two electrons in two of its sp2
hybrid orbitals. These are the lone pairs on oxygen. Its third sp2
hybrid orbital with one electron is used to form a sigma bond
with carbon. The 2pz orbital (with one electron) overlaps
with the 2pz orbital of C to form a pi bond.
Experiments show O2 is paramagnetic

O
O
No unpaired e-
Should be diamagnetic

Molecular orbital theory – bonds are formed from

interaction of atomic orbitals to form molecular
orbitals. 75
Energy levels of bonding and antibonding molecular
orbitals in hydrogen (H2).

A bonding molecular orbital has lower energy and greater

stability than the atomic orbitals from which it was formed.

An antibonding molecular orbital has higher energy and

lower stability than the atomic orbitals from which it was
formed. 76
Constructive and Destructive Interference

77
Two Possible Interactions Between Two Equivalent p Orbitals

78
Molecular Orbital (MO) Configurations

1. The number of molecular orbitals (MOs) formed is always

equal to the number of atomic orbitals combined.
2. The more stable the bonding MO, the less stable the
corresponding antibonding MO.
3. The filling of MOs proceeds from low to high energies.
4. Each MO can accommodate up to two electrons.
5. Use Hund’s rule when adding electrons to MOs of the
same energy.
6. The number of electrons in the MOs is equal to the sum of
all the electrons on the bonding atoms.

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Number of Number of
bond order =
1
2 ( electrons in
bonding
MOs
-
electrons in
antibonding
MOs
)

bond
½ 1 ½ 0
order 80
General molecular orbital energy level diagram for the
second-period homonuclear diatomic molecules Li2, Be2, B2,
C2, and N2.

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82
Example 10.6
The ion can be prepared by bombarding the N2 molecule
with fast-moving electrons.

Predict the following properties of :

•electron configuration

•bond order

•magnetic properties

•bond length relative to the bond length of N2 (is it longer or

shorter?)
Example 10.6
Strategy From Table 10.5 we can deduce the properties of
ions generated from the homonuclear molecules.

How does the stability of a molecule depend on the number of

electrons in bonding and antibonding molecular orbitals?

From what molecular orbital is an electron removed to form the

ion from N2?

What properties determine whether a species is diamagnetic or

paramagnetic?
Example 10.6
Solution From Table 10.5 we can deduce the properties of
ions generated from the homonuclear diatomic molecules.

(a)Because has one fewer electron than N2, its electron

configuration is

(b) The bond order of is found by using Equation (10.2):

bond order = ½ (9 − 4) = 2.5

(c) has one unpaired electron, so it is paramagnetic.

Example 10.6
(d) Because the electrons in the bonding molecular orbitals are
responsible for holding the atoms together, should have
a weaker and, therefore, longer bond than N2. (In fact, the
bond length of is 112 pm, compared with 110 pm for N2.)

Check Because an electron is removed from a bonding

molecular orbital, we expect the bond order to decrease.
The ion has an odd number of electrons (13), so it
should be paramagnetic.
Delocalized molecular orbitals are not confined between
two adjacent bonding atoms, but actually extend over three
or more atoms.

Example: Benzene, C6H6

Delocalized  orbitals

87
Electron density above and below the plane of the
benzene molecule.

88
Bonding in the Carbonate Ion, CO32-

89
Chemistry In Action: Buckyball Anyone?

90