Memorizing Bond Angles and Shapes

[sudo]

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Besides, just memorizing the VSEPR chart of shapes and angles, does anyone have a useful or intuitive way of remembering all this information?

 

[MedPR]

How many bond angles and shapes do you have to know?

I thought for MCAT it was only linear (180), bent (120), and tetrahedral (109.5)?

 

[chiddler]

don't forget how it changes in 3 or 4 atom rings.

 

[johnwandering]

There was a question on my mcat a few years ago, asking about the molecular shape.

The answer was apparently square planar, a shape i never even heard of before.
Got that wrong on the real mcat

 

[SH3]

There was a question on my mcat a few years ago, asking about the molecular shape.

The answer was apparently square planar, a shape i never even heard of before.
Got that wrong on the real mcat

Square Planar: 4 bonds in x-plane with a p orbital in y plane or 6 bonds to the same atom (From an atom with an expanded valence shell)

 

[Dasypus]

Besides, just memorizing the VSEPR chart of shapes and angles, does anyone have a useful or intuitive way of remembering all this information?

I recommend playing with Kinex, or a molecular modeling kit (though that's less fun when you're done).

 

[MedPR]

I recommend playing with Kinex, or a molecular modeling kit (though that's less fun when you're done).

Yea, the more you see it the easier it gets. It's so low yield that it probably isn't worth it to memorize all the bond angles/names besides the main ones.

 

[SH3]

Just open an old Chemistry Textbook and take a look down the entire list if you are really that worried. One readthrough and you will always remember it.

 

[Morsetlis]

Just open an old Chemistry Textbook and take a look down the entire list if you are really that worried. One readthrough and you will always remember it.

I'm here to prove you wrong. 😛

 

[MedPR]

Just open an old Chemistry Textbook and take a look down the entire list if you are really that worried. One readthrough and you will always remember it.

You're a badass if you can memorize that in one read through.

 

[gettheleadout]

You're a badass if you can memorize that in one read through.

The only two angles I didn't already know here were the lone pair variants of tetrahedral.

 

[SH3]

I'm here to prove you wrong. 😛

You're a badass if you can memorize that in one read through.

Lone pairs repel, bond angles are as far apart as possible....

Maybe I just have a good visual memory?

 

[MedPR]

Lone pairs repel, bond angles are as far apart as possible....

Maybe I just have a good visual memory?

Yea the names were always the hardest part for me. Especially because a lot of them have multiple names.

 

[SH3]

Yea the names were always the hardest part for me. Especially because a lot of them have multiple names.

Haha yea, guess I do too much chemistry