Raffles Junior College

H2 Chemistry 2010/11
Tutorial 3a Chemical Bonding I

Name: ________________________
1.

CT Group: ___________

Draw dot and cross diagrams to represent the bonding in

(a) MgS (b) AlF3 (c) CS2 (d) SbH3 (e) SO3 (f) BrF4+ (g) N3

2. (a) How can the shape of simple molecules be explained in terms of the repulsion
between electron pairs?
(b) What is the difference between the electron-pair geometry and the molecular shape
of a molecule? Use the water molecule as an example in your discussion.
(c) Give the electron-pair geometry and the molecular shape for each of the following
molecules or ions: (i) SnCl2 (vapour) (ii) BH4 (iii) IF5 (iv) BrCl2 (v) XeF3+
3.

By drawing dot and cross diagrams, explain why NO2+ is linear while NO2 and NO2 are
bent. Explain why NO2 dimerises readily to form N2O4.

4. (a)

(i)
(ii)

State the bond angle in a molecule of BF3.

State whether the bond angle in NH3 is larger than, smaller than, or equal to
that in BF3. Give an explanation for your answer.
(b) Which of the species CH4 and NH3 has the larger bond angle? Give an explanation
for your answer.
(c) (i) What are the bond angles in a molecule of PF5 (g)?
(ii) What differences, if any, would you expect between the bond angles in the
gaseous molecules PF5 and PCl5? Give a reason for your answer.
(iii) Suggest why the molecule NF5 does not exist.

5. (a) What ions are formed when

(i) ammonia is dissolved in HCl (aq),
(ii) water has HCl (g) dissolved in it,
(iii) boron trifluoride reacts with NaF?
(b) In (a) above, the bond angles in the reactants in italics differ from those in the ions
they form. By considering, in each case, the changes in the number, and type, of
electron pairs around the central atom, explain why.

6. Underline the bond with the higher energy in the following pairs and explain why
it is higher. (a) HCl , HBr (b) FH , HH (c) O=O , OO
7.

Which of the following has greater covalent character and which one would you expect
to have a higher melting point? Explain.
(a) sodium chloride and sodium iodide (b) sodium oxide and magnesium oxide

8.

The electrical conductivity of the substances aluminium, aluminium fluoride and

aluminium chloride are shown below. By referring to their structures and bonding,
explain their differences in electrical conductivity.
Electrical Conductivity
Substance
Solid state
Molten State
Aqueous solution
Aluminium
Aluminium fluoride
Aluminium chloride

Conducts electricity
Does not conduct
Does not conduct

Conducts electricity
Conducts electricity
Conducts electricity
very poorly

Insoluble in water
Conducts electricity
Conducts electricity

Raffles Junior College

H2 Chemistry 2010/11
Tutorial 3a Chemical Bonding I
1.

Dot and cross diagrams

(a) MgS

[Mg]

2+

(b) AlF3

x
[ S ]2
x

[Al]

(d) SbH3

3+

(c) CS2

x

3 [ F ]

(f) BrF4 +

(e) SO3

H x Sb x H
x

x x
S xC x S

x
O x S x O
xx

F
x xx +

F x Br x F

x

F

(g) N3

x x
N xN x N

2. (a) Electron pairs tend to be as far away from each other as possible to minimise
repulsion. By considering the number and types of electron pairs present, the shape
of simple molecules may be known. Each lone pair, single bond, double bond or
triple bond is said to occupy a region of electron density. Molecules with 2, 3, 4, 5
and 6 regions of electron densities have electron-pair geometries of linear, trigonal
planar, tetrahedral, trigonal bipyramidal and octahedral respectively.
(b) Electron pair geometry refers to the orientation in space of the electron-pairs present.
Hence water which has 2 lone pairs and two bond-pairs has 4 regions of electron
density and exhibits an electron-pair geometry of a tetrahedron.
Molecular shape of a molecule refers to the shape of a molecule. Since lone pairs
are not 'visible', the lone pairs are not taken into consideration when describing its
shape. Hence water with two lone pairs and two bond pairs has a bent shape.
(c)

(i)
(iii)
(v)

SnCl2 (vapour)
(ii) BH4

e -pair geometry: trigonal planar

e-pair geometry: tetrahedral
Molecular shape: bent
Molecular shape: tetrahedral
IF5
(iv) BrCl2

e -pair geometry: octahedron

e-pair geometry: trigonal bipyramidal
Molecular shape: square pyramidal
Molecular shape: linear
XeF3+
e-pair geometry: trigonal bipyramidal
Molecular shape: T-shape

3.

NO2+ has 2 regions of electron density. To minimise repulsion, NO2+ is linear.

NO2 and NO2 has three regions of electron density. To minimise repulsion, the electron
pairs are directed in a trigonal planar manner. Since there are only two bonded atoms/ 1
lone pair), the final shape is bent.
NO2 is an odd electron species. After dimerisation, all the atoms have an octet
configuration and all the electrons are paired.

Bond angle in a molecule of BF3 = 120o

Bond angle in NH3 is smaller than that in BF3. That is because there are four
regions of electron density around N in NH3 so that the electron-pairs are
directed in a tetrahedral manner. The bond angle of NH3 is less than the ideal
angle of 109.5o because of the greater repulsion of the lone pair of electrons on
N. BF3 has a trigonal planar shape as it has 3 regions of electron density so
that its angle is 120o.
(b) CH4 has a larger bond angle than NH3. That is because CH4 has four bond pairs and
four regions of electron density so that the bond angle in CH4 is the ideal bond angle
of 109.5o. However NH3 has one lone pair and three bond pairs. Since lone pairs
exert more repulsion than bond-pairs due to their closer distance to the nucleus,
bond angles in NH3 is smaller as the bond pairs are pushed closer together.
(c) (i) 900 between axial and equatorial bonds and 120o between equatorial bonds.
(ii) Bond angles in PF5 and PCl5 are expected to be the same since all electron
pairs present in both molecules are bond pairs. The repulsion of one bond pair
is not greater than the other so that there is no deviation from the ideal case of
a trigonal bipyramid for these molecules with 5 regions of electron density.
(iii) NF5 is not formed because N cannot expand its octet by promoting one of its
2s-electron to a low-lying vacant orbital. N has three unpaired electrons, so that
to form 5 bonds in NF5, it needs to promote a 2s-electron up to a higher level to
give 5 unpaired electrons. The next available empty orbital for N is 3s which
has a much higher energy than the 2s-orbital so that too much energy is
involved in to promote the electron. Also the electrons for bonding needed to be
accommodated in higher energy orbitals which is not energetically favourable.

4. (a)

(i)
(ii)

5. (a) (i) NH4+

Species Bond
angles
NH3
107O

(ii)
H 3O +
#e
# bond # lone
pairs
pairs pairs
4
3
1

NH4+

109.5O

H 2O

105O

H 3O +

> 105O

BF3

120O

(iii) BF4
Shape
Explanation

Trigonal
pyramidal
tetrahedral

Lone pair of e replaced by bond

pair same repulsion resulting
in ideal td angle

Bent

Trigonal
pyramidal
Trigonal
planar
tetrahedral

Lone pair of e replaced by bond

pair less repulsion resulting in
greater bond angle

Dative bd formation resulted in 4

regions of e density resulting in
BF4
109.5O
4
4
0
reduction of angle from 120o to
109.5o
* Note: students do not need to remember the exact value of bond angle for H2O and NH3.

6. (a) HCl , HBr: HCl bond has more effective overlap since Cl is smaller than Br so that
its orbital is less diffuse. Also since Cl is more electronegative than Br, HCl has more
ionic character/ is more polar which strengthens the bond.
(b) FH , HH: FH is polar due to difference in electronegativity between F and H so
that F has a charge while H has a + charge. The added electrostatic attraction
increases bond strength so that FH bond is stronger.
(c) O=O , OO: O=O is a double bond. Increase in no of bonds increases the number of
shared electrons between the two nuclei so that bond length is shortened and bond
energy increases.
7. (a) NaI has greater covalent character as its anion is larger and more easily polarisable
than that of NaCl. NaCl has higher melting point as its lattice energy is more
exothermic than that of NaI since there is greater attraction between Na+ and the
smaller Cl . (Alternatively, LE (q+q )/(r+ + r ) may be used to explain more
exothermic LE and hence higher mp of NaCl).

(b) MgO has greater covalent character as its cation is more highly charged than Na+ so
that it polarises O2 to a greater extent resulting in greater covalent character.
MgO has higher melting point as Mg2+, being more highly charged than Na+, attracts
the O2 more strongly. Also, ionic radius of Mg2+ is smaller than Na+ so that Mg2+ is
closer to O2 thus causing the electrostatic attraction to be stronger.

8.

To conduct electricity, the substance needs to contain charge carriers. Of the three
substances, only Al can conduct electricity in the solid state. That is because Al is a
metal made up of positive metal ions surrounded by a 'sea' of electrons. The delocalised
electrons function as mobile charge carriers that moves towards the positive terminal
when a potential difference is applied between its ends.
AlF3 is ionic and even though it is made up of Al3+ and F , the ions are held in fixed
positions in the solid state and cannot function as charge carriers. However in the
molten state, the ions are free to move and act as charge carriers, conducting electricity.
In aqueous state, Al3+ (aq) and F (aq) are free to move and hence aq AlF3 conducts
electricity.
AlCl3 is predominantly covalent and being made up of neutral molecules, it does not
conduct electricity well in the solid or molten state. However, it ionises in water to give
Al3+ (aq) and Cl (aq). Due to the presence of these mobile charge carriers, AlCl3 (aq)
conducts electricity.