Textbook Question
Sodium azide is a shock-sensitive compound that releases N2 upon physical impact. The compound is used in automobile airbags. The azide ion is N3-. (b) State the hybridization of the central N atom in the azide ion.
Ch.9 - Molecular Geometry and Bonding Theories
Chapter 9, Problem 102a
Butadiene, C4H6, is a planar molecule that has the following carbon–carbon bond lengths:
(a) Predict the bond angles around each of the carbon atoms and sketch the molecule.
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Identify the hybridization of each carbon atom in the butadiene molecule. The carbons involved in double bonds (C1, C2, C3, and C4) are sp2 hybridized.
Determine the bond angles for sp2 hybridized carbons. The bond angles around an sp2 hybridized carbon are approximately 120 degrees.
Sketch the molecule, ensuring that the bond angles around each carbon are approximately 120 degrees. The structure should show the planar arrangement of the molecule.
Label the bond lengths on the sketch. The double bonds (C1=C2 and C3=C4) have bond lengths of 1.34 Å, and the single bond (C2-C3) has a bond length of 1.48 Å.
Review the sketch to ensure it accurately represents the planar structure of butadiene with the correct bond angles and bond lengths.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Hybridization
Hybridization is the concept that describes the mixing of atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals, which can explain the geometry of molecular bonding. In butadiene, the carbon atoms undergo sp2 hybridization, resulting in a trigonal planar arrangement around each carbon atom, which influences bond angles and lengths.
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Hybridization
Bond Angles
Bond angles are the angles formed between adjacent bonds at a central atom in a molecule. In butadiene, due to the sp2 hybridization of the carbon atoms, the expected bond angles around each carbon atom are approximately 120 degrees, reflecting the planar structure of the molecule.
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Resonance Structures
Resonance structures are different ways of drawing the same molecule that illustrate the delocalization of electrons. In butadiene, the presence of alternating double bonds allows for resonance, which stabilizes the molecule and affects the bond lengths, as seen with the varying bond lengths of 1.34 Å and 1.48 Å.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
In ozone, O3, the two oxygen atoms on the ends of the molecule are equivalent to one another. (d) How many electrons are delocalized in the p system of ozone?
Textbook Question
Butadiene, C4H6, is a planar molecule that has the following carbon–carbon bond lengths:
(b) From left to right, what is the hybridization of each carbon atom in butadiene?
Textbook Question
Butadiene, C4H6, is a planar molecule that has the following carbon–carbon bond lengths:
(c) The middle C¬C bond length in butadiene (1.48 Å) is a little shorter than the average C¬C single bond length (1.54 Å). Does this imply that the middle C¬C bond in butadiene is weaker or stronger than the average C¬C single bond?
Textbook Question
The structure of borazine, B3N3H6, is a six-membered ring of alternating B and N atoms. There is one H atom bonded to each B and to each N atom. The molecule is planar. (a) Write a Lewis structure for borazine in which the formal charge on every atom is zero.