What is the molecular geometry of the left carbon atom (circled) in acetic acid? The left carbon atom is attached to three hydro
gen atoms and one carbon atom through single bonds. The right carbon atom is attached to a carbon atom and an oxygen atom through single bonds and a second oxygen atom through a double bond.
1 answer:
Answer: Tetrahedral geometry
Explanation: The structure of the acetic acid is shown in the image below.
The left carbon atom is the one which is attached to three hydrogen atoms through single bonds and to one carbon atom through single bond as well.
Thus the orbitals which are used in the process of the formation of the chemical bond between these 4 are sp3 orbitals. And these orbitals results in the formation of the tetrahedral geometry.
The right carbon atom that is attached to a carbon atom and an oxygen atom through single bonds and a second oxygen atom through a double bond has trigonal planar geometry which involves the sp2 orbitals for the formation of the bond.
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Naming is generally the same as the alkane by replacing the suffix with -al
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Inside the structure there are 3 atoms involved in bonding:
- 1. Atom C with 4 valence electrons, requires 4 electrons to reach the octet
- 2. Atom O with 6 valence electrons, requires 2 electrons to reach the octet
- 3. Atom H with 1 valence electron, requires 1 electron to reach a duplet
In describing Lewis's structure the steps that can be taken are:
- 1. Count the number of valence electrons from atoms in a molecule
- 2. Give each bond a pair of electrons
- 3. The remaining electrons are given to the atomic terminal so that an octet is reached
- 4. The remaining electrons that still exist in the central atom
- 5. If the central atom is not yet octet, free electrons are drawn to the central atom to form double bonds
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<h3>Learn more: </h3>
Adding electron dots
Ionic bonding
Formal charge
Keywords: butanal, aldehyde, Lewis structure, a valence electron
