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Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: palomino96 on February 02, 2007, 06:50:42 PM

Title: Can anyone tell me why the NCl5 does not exist?
Post by: palomino96 on February 02, 2007, 06:50:42 PM
I have this question in some of my laboratory homework and have searched and cannot find the answer.  Can anyone tell me the answer.

Thanks,
Shawna
Title: Re: Can anyone tell me why the NCl5 does not exist?
Post by: enahs on February 02, 2007, 08:07:37 PM
On a very simplistic level, why do atoms combine? They want to be like a certain group of elements on the periodic table. What are those, and what do they have in common?
Title: Re: Can anyone tell me why the NCl5 does not exist?
Post by: vhpk on February 02, 2007, 09:25:16 PM
Quote from: palomino96 on February 02, 2007, 06:50:42 PM
I have this question in some of my laboratory homework and have searched and cannot find the answer. Can anyone tell me the answer.

Thanks,
Shawna
Write the configuration, you'll see that N doesn't have orbital d.
Title: Re: Can anyone tell me why the NCl5 does not exist?
Post by: english on February 02, 2007, 10:02:08 PM
You can draw an MO diagram with hybridized atomic orbitals.  This combines VSEPR and MO models to try and get a general understanding of bonding character in molecules that have more than 2 bonds.

MO alone is good for simple diatomic molecules. 


For example, MO works well for O2 and NO2, but not for many organic compounds and this such example.  Otherwise you'll wind up combining a lot of p orbitals and it can get rather messy.