Q1-1-3P - Organic Chemistry (Mcmurry)

Question

Draw a molecule of chloroform, CHCl3, using solid, wedged, and dashed lines to show its tetrahedral geometry?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Three-dimensional structure of chloroform

 

Line bond structure

The line bond structures are used to indicate covalent bonds by using lines to represent two electrons shared between two atoms. The line bond structure of chloroform with C as the central atom is as shown:

         Structure of chloroform

Three-dimensional geometry

To represent the three-dimensional geometry of a molecule, we need to use

* a solid line to represent a bond in the plane of the page.

*A dashed line to represent a bond going back below the plane of the page, and

*A wedged line to represent a bond above the plane of the page.

To represent tetrahedral geometry around C, draw two bonds using solid lines, one bond using a dashed line, and one bond using a wedged line. 

The three-dimensional structure of chloroform is represented as:

Three-dimensional structure of chloroform