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Which of the following explains the VSEPR geometry of a water molecule?

It is tetrahedral because there are four bonded pairs around oxygen.
It is bent because there are four bonded pairs around oxygen.
It is tetrahedral because there are two bonded pairs and two lone pairs around oxygen.
It is bent because there are two bonded pairs and four lone pairs around oxygen.

2 Answers

1 vote

Answer:The correct explanation for the VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) geometry of a water molecule is:

It is bent because there are two bonded pairs and two lone pairs around oxygen.

In VSEPR theory, the shape of a molecule is determined by the repulsion between electron pairs in the valence shell of the central atom. Water (H2O) has two hydrogen atoms bonded to a central oxygen atom. Oxygen has six valence electrons, and each hydrogen contributes one valence electron, making a total of eight valence electrons around the oxygen atom.

When we consider the electron pairs around the oxygen atom, we have two bonded pairs (the two pairs from the hydrogen atoms) and two lone pairs (the pairs that are not involved in bonding). According to the VSEPR theory, electron pairs (both bonded and lone pairs) repel each other and try to position themselves as far apart as possible to minimize repulsion.

In the case of water, the two lone pairs of electrons exert a stronger repulsion compared to the bonded pairs. As a result, the bonded pairs are pushed closer together, causing the molecule to adopt a bent shape. This bent shape is responsible for the VSEPR geometry of water.

To summarize, the VSEPR geometry of a water molecule is bent because there are two bonded pairs and two lone pairs around the oxygen atom.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Katrin Annuk
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3 votes

VSEPR THEORY

Answer:

The correct answer is option 3, which is It is tetrahedral because there are two bonded pairs and two lone pairs around oxygen.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to your question, it refers to the VSEPR THEORY of water molecules. When we say theory, it's the developers who are just testing and checking the effects, saying they're evaluating the studies they've done before polishing them.

The VSEPR theory has two developers, Ronald Gillespie and Ronald Nyholm. After these developers, the VSEPR theory was also immediately called the Gillespie-Nyholm theory.

According to this theory, water molecules have curved shapes that we often do not notice. It has an H-O-H angle of 104.5°12.

Electron pair geometries are called tetrahedral, with two bonded pairs and two lone pairs.

The four regions of the electron are arranged tetrahedral shape because of its consistency around the oxygen molecule. Thus, we can infer from our minds that the VSEPR theory explains that the water molecule is tetrahedral shaped by these factors.

That's all. Thank you for reading! :>

User Rob Harrop
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