Why does water have a lopsided shape and act like a chemical magnet?
1 answer:
Answer:
See below
Step-by-step explanation:
(a) Shape
The formula for water is H-O-H.
The central O atom has four electron pairs around it. They try to get as far from each other as possible, so they point toward the corners of a tetrahedron.
Only two of the pairs have a hydrogen atom attached, so water has a bent shape. The H-O-H bond angle is about 104°.
(b) Chemical magnet
The O atom has a greater attraction than H for the shared electrons in the O-H bonds, so the electrons spend more time near the O.
This gives the O atom a partial negative charge (pink in the diagram) and the H atoms a partial positive charge (blue).
The water molecule acts like a chemical magnet because its negative end attracts the positive ends of other molecules, while its positive ends attract the negative ends of other molecules.
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