Cl-C-Cl vs H-C-H Bond Angles in CH4 & Dichloromethane

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SUMMARY

The bond angle for Cl-C-Cl in dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) is indeed different from the H-C-H bond angle in methane (CH4). The H-C-H bond angle in CH4 is approximately 109.5 degrees, while the Cl-C-Cl bond angle is smaller due to the presence of three lone pairs of electrons on the chlorine atoms, which create greater electron repulsion. This repulsion results in a reduced bond angle compared to the H-C-H configuration, confirming that the Cl-C-Cl bond angle is less than 109.5 degrees.

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How is the bond angle for Cl-C-Cl in dichloromethane different from H-C-H bond angle of CH4? Is it smaller??
 
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What is the size of Cl vs. H in your examples?
 
Chlorine has three free electron pairs, hydrogen has none. Because of the electon pairs chlorine atoms repell from each other more strongly so the Cl-C-Cl bond angle should be bigger than H-C-H. I am not sure of this, but it seemed logical to me.
 

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