In: Chemistry
Determine the VSPER formula, electron geometry, molecular geometry, and bond angle for the following molecules/polyatomic ions listed below.
1. H3O+
In H3O+, the central atom is O and it has one lone pair and a positive charge. three hydrogens are covalently bonded to it. So, overall, it has 4 groups, including 3 hydrogens and one lone pair. This means that the electron geometry of H3O+ is tetrahedral.
As it has one lone pair, so the molecular geometry is trigonal pyramidal.
As the shape is tetrahedral, so the bond angle should be 109.5. But due to the lone pair on oxygen, the bond angle decreases to 107. The shape of the ion is: