How to predict the bond angle and shape of a molecule of NH3

An atom of nitrogen has 5 valence electrons in its outer shell. Each hydrogen atom in ammonia bonds to the central nitrogen atom and contributes an electron each. This means there are 8 electrons in total on the central nitrogen in ammonia. Each NH bond is a pair of electrons therefore the existence of 3 NH bonds in ammonia means that 6 of these 8 electrons are involved in bonding leaving a lone pair of electrons. These 3 bonding pairs and one lone pair of electrons arrange themselves are far apart as possible to minimise repulsion and so they arrange themselves in a tetrahedral. The angles between each bond is less that 109.5 because there is greater repulsion from the lone par - it pushes the bonds closer to one another.

DP

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Why can there be one major product and one minor product after electrophilic addition takes place across a double bond?


Lead (IV) oxide reacts with concentrated hydrochloric acid as follows: PbO2(s) + 4HCl(aq) -----> PbCl2(s) + Cl2(g) + 2H2O(l) What mass of lead chloride would be obtained from 37.2g of PbO2, and what mass of chlorine gas would be produced


What is the rate of a reaction and how can you determine it experimentally?


What evidences are used to prove that Benzene's kekule model is incorrect and that Benzene has a delocalised Pi structure.