Explain the geometry and bond angles in a NH3 molecule

So if we think about a molecule of ammonia, NH3, there are 3 hydrogens, each with 1 electron (as its atomic number is 1) covalently bonded to 1 nitrogen atom with 5 outer shell electrons on it due to its atomic number of 7, but having 2 electrons in its innermost shell. As hydrogen can only ever have 1 bond to/from it, we can say that nitrogen is the central atom with hydrogens around it. As covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons, and there are 3 covalent bonds, nitrogen shares 3 of its 5 outer electrons, 1 each with the 3 hydrogens, and so there are 3 bonding pairs. 5-3=2, so that leaves 1 lone pair of electrons around this centrral nitrogen atom. The valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory states that electron pairs around a central atom will repel so they are as far away as possible. As there are 4 electron pairs around the central nitrogen, you can imagine each spreading out to the 4 corners of a tetrahedron, which would suggest that the bond angle is 109.5 degrees. However, as only 3 of the electron pairs are bonding, there isn't a bond at the 'top' to form a tetrahedron, and the actual shape of NH3 is trigonal pyrimidal. VSEPR theory also states that the lone pair of electrons repels bonding pairs more than bonding-bonding pair repulsion, and so you can imagine the 1 lone pair squeezing the bonding pairs slightly closer together in NH3, which reduces the bond angle by about 2 degrees, making the bond angle 107.5 degrees.

AL
Answered by Anthony L. Chemistry tutor

27866 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Explain why chlorine has a lower boiling point than Bromine. (2 marks)


Determine Ka of a monohydric acid if the pH=2 and the initial concentration is 0.445 mol/L!


Describe and explain the shape and bond angle of ammonia


An acid can be either strong or weak, explain the difference between strong and weak acids.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning