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What are the shapes of the molecules of water and boron trifluoride? | H₂O | BF₃ | |------|------| | A - CIE - A-Level Chemistry - Question 1 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 1
What are the shapes of the molecules of water and boron trifluoride? | H₂O | BF₃ | |------|------| | A. linear | pyramidal | | B. linear | trigonal | | C. no... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:What are the shapes of the molecules of water and boron trifluoride? | H₂O | BF₃ | |------|------| | A - CIE - A-Level Chemistry - Question 1 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
What are the shapes of the molecules of water and boron trifluoride?
Answer
The shape of a water molecule (H₂O) is non-linear (or bent) due to the two lone pairs on the oxygen atom, which repel the hydrogen atoms and lead to a bond angle of approximately 104.5 degrees.
On the other hand, boron trifluoride (BF₃) has a trigonal planar shape. The boron atom has three fluorine atoms bonded to it with no lone pairs on the boron, resulting in a bond angle of 120 degrees.