According to the VSEPR model, the arrangement of electron pairs around NH3 and CH4 is A. the same, because in each case there ar

Question

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According to the VSEPR model, the arrangement of electron pairs around NH3 and CH4 is A. the same, because in each case there ar

e the same number of electron pairs around the central atom B. different or the same, depending on the conditions leading to maximum repulsion C. different, because in each case there are a different number of atoms around the central atom D. the same, because both nitrogen and carbon are both in the second period E. different, because in each case there are a different number of electron pairs around the central atom

Chemistry

1 answer:

lorasvet [2.7K] · Answer 1 · 2026-03-01T04:38:07+03:00

Response:

Option "B" is the correct choice.

Explanation:

Based on VSEPR theory, repulsive forces occur between bond pair - bond pair or bond pair - lone pair of electrons. In both $NH_{3}$ and $CH_{4}$ , the electron pair count is the same, yet methane consists entirely of four bond pairs while ammonia contains three bond pairs and one lone pair. Therefore, repulsive forces are present between the lone and bond pairs of electrons, which causes the arrangement of electron pairs around the two molecules to vary depending on the circumstances to minimize repulsion.