What is the bond angle in a tetrahedral molecule?

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Multiple Choice

What is the bond angle in a tetrahedral molecule?

Explanation:
In this arrangement, four electron regions around a central atom spread to the corners of a regular tetrahedron to minimize repulsion. The angle between any two bonds is determined by the geometry of a tetrahedron, which gives a bond angle of arccos(-1/3) ≈ 109.47 degrees, commonly written as about 109.5 degrees. This situation arises from sp3 hybridization, where four equivalent hybrid orbitals point toward the tetrahedron’s corners, leading to four equal bonds as in methane. If lone pairs are present, their stronger repulsion can reduce angles, so molecules with lone pairs don’t stay at 109.5 degrees. But for a true tetrahedral molecule with four bonding pairs, the bond angle is about 109.5 degrees.

In this arrangement, four electron regions around a central atom spread to the corners of a regular tetrahedron to minimize repulsion. The angle between any two bonds is determined by the geometry of a tetrahedron, which gives a bond angle of arccos(-1/3) ≈ 109.47 degrees, commonly written as about 109.5 degrees. This situation arises from sp3 hybridization, where four equivalent hybrid orbitals point toward the tetrahedron’s corners, leading to four equal bonds as in methane. If lone pairs are present, their stronger repulsion can reduce angles, so molecules with lone pairs don’t stay at 109.5 degrees. But for a true tetrahedral molecule with four bonding pairs, the bond angle is about 109.5 degrees.

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