A proton bonds to the oxygen atom of a solvent water to give a ______ hydronium ion.
- Asquare pyramid
- Btrigonal pyramidal
- Ctetrahedral
- Dsquare planar
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
When a proton (H
+
) bonds to a water molecule (H
2
O), it forms a hydronium ion (H
3
O
+
).
According to the VSEPR theory:
The central oxygen atom in H
3
O
+
has 3 bonding pairs and 1 lone pair of electrons (steric number = 4).
The electron pair geometry is tetrahedral.
Due to the presence of one lone pair, the molecular shape/geometry is distorted into a trigonal pyramidal structure, similar to ammonia (NH
3
).
+
) bonds to a water molecule (H
2
O), it forms a hydronium ion (H
3
O
+
).
According to the VSEPR theory:
The central oxygen atom in H
3
O
+
has 3 bonding pairs and 1 lone pair of electrons (steric number = 4).
The electron pair geometry is tetrahedral.
Due to the presence of one lone pair, the molecular shape/geometry is distorted into a trigonal pyramidal structure, similar to ammonia (NH
3
).