LEGO Principle

In this section I will limit myself to the LEGO principles for construction of polymers from their building blocks. To make matters clear, let me state at the outset that our principle is a reverse construction of a giant molecule, with an aim of conceptualizing it. We are not describing the actual chemical mechanisms whereby these molecules are made, although the resemblance is there. 

Construct the following molecules based on the LEGO principle we learned in this lecture, (a) H2SO3 as an acid, (b) SO3, and (c) SO2. None of these molecules contains 0—0 bonds. 

This is a straightforward LEGO principle of combining atomic/ionic radii to construct the dimensions of the bonds in a molecule. Tables 9.1 and 9.2 list covalent and ionic radii of main group elements, and they allow us to highlight the power of the idea in Figure 9.10 with two applications. 

Sason Nothing is forgotten, Racheli As I plan to show, molecular dimensions and energies can also be described using the LEGO principle, as combinations of typical building blocks. 

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