Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: xxdntgrlxx on November 20, 2016, 09:44:21 AM
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So I've been given a lewis structure of Carbonic acid, CH2O3 and I've been asked to find the bond angles of two certain parts.
I have it drawn out like H-O-C-O-H with a double bonded oxygen on top of the C with the correct amount of lone pairs on both remaining oxygens. I've been asked to find the bond angle from H-O-C on the left of the structure. Also, I've been asked to find the angle between the O on top of the carbon to the O on the right with the C between them. I don't understand how to go about finding the bond angles. I think the H-O-C on the left is 109 but I am not sure about the other angle.
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If you have at least 3 similar atoms around the central atom you have triangle. What the angle in a equilateral triangle?
https://www.google.de/search?q=bondangle+carbonic+acid&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=7r0xWP2LIvSv8wemlp-gAg#q=bond+angle+carbonic+acid
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The angle in an equilateral triangle is 60 degrees
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Yes corrrect, but you need the outer angle because the molecule looks like a star similar the one of Mercedes car. So what angle you have then?
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Model drawing of acetic acid you can find in your textbook or in Wikipedia. Note, all angles on this drawing are the same (120 degrees). Using VSEPR method you can predict changes of angles around carbon atom. For H-O-C angle take H-O-H angle from water. And ... you will get a quite reliable model of carbonic acid with errors for angles not greater than 3 degrees.