Tetrahedral molecular geometry

A molecular shape in which four atoms bonded to a central atom occupy the vertices of a tetrahedron, with ideal bond angles of about 109.5°.

Valence-shell electron-pair repulsion theory: A model that predicts molecular shapes by arranging electron domains around a central atom to reduce repulsion. It predicts tetrahedral arrangements when four bonding domains surround the central atom.
Tetrahedron: A polyhedron with four triangular faces, four vertices, and six edges. Its vertices define the ideal positions of the four atoms around a central atom.
Stereochemistry: The study of how the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms affects chemical behavior. Tetrahedral centers are a central source of stereoisomers in organic molecules.
Trigonal planar molecular geometry: A molecular shape with three surrounding atoms in one plane, ideally separated by 120°. It is the common three-bond alternative to tetrahedral geometry.
Tetrahedral coordination: An arrangement in which a central atom or ion has four nearest neighbors at the vertices of a tetrahedron. It describes the same four-neighbor spatial arrangement in coordination chemistry and materials.
Methane: The molecule CH₄, consisting of one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms. Its four equivalent C–H bonds form the textbook tetrahedral shape.
Enantiomer: One of a pair of stereoisomers that are non-superimposable mirror images. A tetrahedral atom attached to four different groups can generate an enantiomeric pair.
Trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry: A molecular shape with three bonded atoms around a central atom and one lone pair. It results when one tetrahedral electron domain is a lone pair rather than a bond.
Bond angle: The angle formed by two bonds that share an atom. The ideal tetrahedral angle is approximately 109.5°.
Ammonia: The molecule NH₃, with three N–H bonds and one lone pair on nitrogen. Its electron domains are tetrahedral, but its atoms form a trigonal-pyramidal molecular shape.

Linked from 36 pages