CHAPTER 9: MOLECULAR GEOMETRY & BONDING THEORIES

Electron domain

Regions about a central atom where electrons are likely to be found.

Bonding pair

A pair of electrons shared by two atoms.

Nonbonding pair (lone pair)

A pair of electrons assigned completely to one atom.

VSEPR model

Describes the shapes of molecules based on the arrangement of electron domains to minimize repulsions.

Electronic geometry

Arrangement of electron domains around a central atom.

Molecular geometry

Arrangement of atoms around the central atom in a molecule.

Bond polarity

Measure of how equally electrons are shared in a bond, increasing with electronegativity difference.

Dipole moment

Quantitative measure of charge separation in a molecule, influenced by bond polarities and geometry.

Valence-bond theory

Model where electron-pair bonds form by overlapping orbitals on two atoms.

Hybridization

Mixing of different atomic orbitals to form equivalent hybrid orbitals with specific geometries.