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InterviewSolution
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what is angle between any two bonds in methane molecule |
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Answer» Methane organizes itself into a tetrahedral shape, with the carbon atom in the middle and the 4 hydrogen atoms equi-distributed, so to speak, around it. Knowing this*, we can reason that the displacements from the carbon atom to the 4 hydrogen atoms sum to zero, and thus, considering one of these displacements as 1 unit straight up, we find that the equal vertical component of the other 3 displacements must be 1/3 units down. Thus, the bond angle will be the arccosine of -1/3, which comes out to a hair over 109 degrees and 28 minutes, as you note |
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