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Linear Pairs

Two adjacent angles that form a straight line.

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Linear Pairs
Teacher Contributed

RWA Linear Pairs

Concept(s)

• Linear Pairs

Subsection Title

Question Text

The student will:

Be exposed to how how geometry is used in molecular chemistry.

Topic

Molecular Geometry

Vocabulary

• Linear Pair of Angles
• Molecular Geometry
• Linear Molecular Geometry

Student centered

How are linear pairs used in chemistry?

Molecular geometry or molecular structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute amolecule. It determines several properties of a substance including its reactivity, polarity, phase of matter, color,magnetism, and biological activity.”

Some common shapes of simple molecules include:

• Linear: In a linear model, atoms are connected in a straight line. The bond angles are set at $180^{\circ}$. A bond angle is very simply the geometric angle between two adjacent bonds. For example, carbon dioxide and nitric oxide have a linear molecular shape.
• Bent: Bent or angular molecules have a non-linear shape. A good example is water, or $H_2O$, which has an angle of about $105^{\circ}$. A water molecule has two pairs of bonded electrons and two unshared lone pairs. Read more here ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_geometry

Extension Investigation

How to determine the electronic and molecular geometry of a molecule.