Shapes of Molecules using the
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Model (VSEPR)
Chemistry 1413.002, Honors General Chemistry
Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas
Fall 1998
To successfully view the 3-dimensional structures in the last column of the table below, the Chime plugin must be installed in your browser. For more details see the Beginner's Guide to Chime page.
| Molecular Formula | Number of Valence Electrons | Lewis Dot Structure | Number of "Groups" of Electrons around central atom | Orientation of "Groups" of Electrons | Shape of Molecule | 3-Dimensional Structure (Chime plug-in required) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BeH2 | 4 | 2 | linear | linear | ||
| CO2 | 16 | 2 | linear | linear | ||
| BH3 | 6 | 3 | trigonal planar | trigonal planar | ||
| BF3 | 24 | 3 | trigonal | trigonal | ||
| CH4 | 8 | 4 | tetrahedral | tetrahedral | ||
| CCl4 | 32 | 4 | tetrahedral | tetrahedral | ||
| NH3 | 8 | 4 | tetrahedral | pyramidal | ||
| H2O | 8 | 4 | tetrahedral | bent | ||
| PF5 | 40 | 5 | trigonal bipyramid | trigonal bipyramid | ||
| SF4 | 34 | 5 | trigonal bipyramid | seesaw | ||
| ClF3 | 28 | 5 | trigonal bipyramid | T-shaped | ||
| XeF2 | 22 | 5 | trigonal bipyramid | linear | ||
| SF6 | 48 | 6 | octahedral | octahedral | ||
| BrF5 | 42 | 6 | octahedral | square pyramidal | ||
| XeF4 | 36 | 6 | octahedral | square planar |
Written and maintained by R. D. Thomas---Last update January 19, 2001
Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 305070, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203