Valence-shell electron-pair repulsions and molecular geometry

VALENCE-SHELL ELECTRON-PAIR REPULSIONS AND MOLECULAR GEOMETRY... 

Valence-bond theory, 32—34, 42, 46 Valence electrons, 10 and Lewis structures, 20 Valence-shell electron pair repulsion and molecular geometry, 26-29, 45 L-Valine, 1054, 1059... 

Skill 21.2 Apply the concepts of Lewis structures, valence-shell electron-pair repulsion, and hybridization to describe molecular geometry and bonding. 

The major features of molecular geometry can be predicted on the basis of a quite simple principle—electron-pair repulsion. This principle is the essence of the valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) model, first suggested by N. V. Sidgwick and H. M. Powell in 1940. It was developed and expanded later by R. J. Gillespie and R. S. Nyholm. According to the VSEPR model, the valence electron pairs surrounding an atom repel one another. Consequently, the orbitals containing those electron pairs are oriented to be as far apart as possible. 

The molecular geometry of a complex depends on the coordination number, which is the number of ligand atoms bonded to the metal. The most common coordination number is 6, and almost all metal complexes with coordination number 6 adopt octahedral geometry. This preferred geometry can be traced to the valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) model Introduced In Chapter 9. The ligands space themselves around the metal as far apart as possible, to minimize electron-electron repulsion. 

Due to the simplicity and the ability to explain the spectroscopic and excited state properties, the MO theory in addition to easy adaptability for modern computers has gained tremendous popularity among chemists. The concept of directed valence, based on the principle of maximum overlap and valence shell electron pair repulsion theory (VSEPR), has successfully explained the molecular geometries and bonding in polyatomic molecules. 

The Laplacian of the electron density plays a dominant role throughout the theory.191 In addition, Bader has shown that the topology of the Laplacian recovers the Lewis model of the electron pair, a model that is not evident in the topology of the electron density itself. The Laplacian of the density thus provides a physical valence-shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) basis for the model of molecular geometry and for the prediction of the reaction sites and their relative alignment in acid-base reactions. This work is closely tied to earlier studies by Bader of the electron pair density, demonstrating that the spatial localization of electrons is a result of a corresponding localization of the Fermi correlation hole. 

This chapter reviews molecular geometry and the two main theories of bonding. The model used to determine molecular geometry is the VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) model. There are two theories of bonding the valence bond theory, which is based on VSEPR theory, and molecular orbital theory. A much greater amount of the chapter is based on valence bond theory, which uses hybridized orbitals, since this is the primary model addressed on the AP test. 

Some simple rules were supported by empirial evidence, valence shell electron pair repulsion model (VSEPR) and MO calculations, both semiempirical and ab initio. These rules could explain those features of molecular geometry which have been characterized by structural investigations using spectroscopic and diffraction techniques. 

Molecular geometry and the valence-shell electron pair repulsion model... 

Once a Lewis structure is drawn, you can determine the molecular geometry, or shape, of the molecule. The model used to determine the molecular shape is referred to as the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion model, or VSEPR model. This model is based on an arrangement that minimizes the repulsion of shared and unshared pairs of electrons around the central atom. 

Valence shell electron pair repulsion approach. In the valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSFPR) approach to molecular geometry, we begin by seeing the valence shell of a bonded atom as a spherical surface. Repulsions among pairs of valence electrons force the pairs to locate on this surface as far from each other as possible. Based on such considerations, somewhat simplified herein, we determine where all the electron pairs on the spherical surface of the atom settle down, and identify which of those pairs correspond to bonds. Once we know which pairs of electrons bond (or glue) atoms together, we can more easily picture the shape of the corresponding (simple) molecule. 

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