Question

Consider the water(H_2O) molecule. What is the central atom? Enter its chemical symbol. How many lone pairs are around the central atom? What is the ideal angle between the oxygen-hydrogen bonds? Compared to the ideal angle, you would expect the actual angle between the oxygen-hydrogen bonds to be ________.

Answer 1

Answer:oxygen is the central atom in water,it has two lone pairs of electrons, the bond angle is 104.27° The ideal H-O-H bond angle ought to have been 109.28°

Explanation:

The presence of lone pairs causes slight distortion in the bond angles of molecules. This distortion increases with the number of lone pairs present. Water has two lone pairs hence a greater distortion compared to ammonia.