Q85 E - Chemistry (OpenStax)

Question

Explain why the \({\rm{HOH}}\) molecule is bent, whereas the \({\rm{HBeH}}\) molecule is linear.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The molecule of \({{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}\)is bent as it consists of two sets of unpaired electrons whereas molecule of \(HBeH\) is linear as it has only two electrons that can bond.

Step 1: Concept Introduction

A molecule is a group of two or more than atoms bound  by chemical bonds; the term may or may not include ions that meet this condition depending on the context.

Step 2: Bentness of Molecule

\({{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}\) molecule has two sets of unpaired electrons and these unpaired electrons forces the bond to be tetrahedral and as a result \({{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}\) molecule is bent.

\(Be\) element has only two electrons to form bond with \({\rm{2}}\) hydrogens and in order to avoid repulsion between bonded pairs, they should be far away from each other. As a result, this molecule is linear. 

 

Therefore, \({{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}\) molecule is bent whereas \(HBeH\) molecule is not bent.