Homework Help: Bond Angle, Can Someone Tell Me if I'm Correct?

amcavoy · Oct 2, 2005

I am to find the angle OSeO in the molecule SeO₂. After drawing the Lewis Structure and such, I am saying 180^o. Is this correct?

wr1015 · Oct 2, 2005

apmcavoy said:

I am to find the angle OSeO in the molecule SeO₂. After drawing the Lewis Structure and such, I am saying 180^o. Is this correct?

well sp3 hybridized = 109.5 degrees, sp2 hybridized (double bonds) = 120 degrees, and sp hybridized (triple bonds)= 180 degrees.

amcavoy · Oct 2, 2005

wr1015 said:

well sp3 hybridized = 109.5 degrees, sp2 hybridized (double bonds) = 120 degrees, and sp hybridized (triple bonds)= 180 degrees.

I have one double bond and one single bond. That is my problem. If they aren't the same, how can I determine this?

wr1015 · Oct 2, 2005

apmcavoy said:

I have one double bond and one single bond. That is my problem. If they aren't the same, how can I determine this?

in the molecule selenium dioxide, there should be 2 double bonds which form a linear molecule (180 degrees). you can go to chemfinder.com search selenium dioxide and it will show you an image of the molecule.

amcavoy · Oct 2, 2005

wr1015 said:

in the molecule selenium dioxide, there should be 2 double bonds which form a linear molecule (180 degrees). you can go to chemfinder.com search selenium dioxide and it will show you an image of the molecule.

I went there and they said the same thing you did. However, when you write it with two double bonds there is no way for it to obey the octet rule when you write the Lewis Structure. I can get it with a double and a single, but not two doubles. Why is this?

Edit: Alright, let's forget the octet rule (I guess that's not important). When I write it with two double bonds I'm going to say a 120^o angle, right?

Thanks.

wr1015 · Oct 2, 2005

apmcavoy said:

I went there and they said the same thing you did. However, when you write it with two double bonds there is no way for it to obey the octet rule when you write the Lewis Structure. I can get it with a double and a single, but not two doubles. Why is this?

Edit: Alright, let's forget the octet rule (I guess that's not important). When I write it with two double bonds I'm going to say a 120^o angle, right?

Thanks.

well by following the rules of bond hybridization i would say yes 120^o

amcavoy · Oct 2, 2005

Thanks I appreciate it

leright · Oct 2, 2005

count the number of double bonds, single bonds and lone pairs. In this case, there are a total of 3 of all of these combined. This, the electronic structure will be in a trigonal planar form, so they are 120 degrees apart. Your molecule will have 2 bonds, making it a bent molecule with 120 degree bond angles.