The diagram shows a 3D space filling model of methane - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2023 - Paper 3
Question 5
The diagram shows a 3D space filling model of methane.
What are the limitations of showing methane as a 3D space filling model?
A) It does not show how close toget... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The diagram shows a 3D space filling model of methane - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2023 - Paper 3
Step 1
A) It does not show how close together the atoms are.
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Answer
The 3D space filling model of methane does not provide information on the distances between the centers of the atoms. It depicts the atoms as spheres that represent their volume but does not illustrate how close they are in terms of bond lengths.
Step 2
B) It does not show how many electrons are in a bond.
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This model focuses on the spatial arrangement of atoms and their sizes, leaving out crucial details like the electron sharing in covalent bonds. Thus, it does not convey the electron density or bonding interactions.
Step 3
C) It does not show the relative size of the atoms.
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While the model represents the atoms as spheres, it may not accurately reflect the actual size ratio between different atoms, especially when comparing carbon with hydrogen in methane.
Step 4
D) It does not show the relative volume that the atoms take up.
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The space filling model does show the relative volumes of the atoms; however, it could give a misleading impression of how they occupy space compared to their actual geometric arrangement when not in close proximity.
