The molecular structure around the oxygen in water is....????

The molecular structure around the oxygen in water is bent or V-shaped. To determine this, you can follow these steps:

1. Understand the Lewis structure: Start by drawing the Lewis structure of water (H2O). The Lewis structure shows how the atoms and valence electrons are arranged in a molecule. In the case of water, there are two hydrogen (H) atoms bonded to a central oxygen (O) atom.

2. Count the number of electron groups: Identify the total number of electron groups around the central oxygen atom. In water, there are two lone pairs of electrons on the oxygen atom and two bonding pairs (one with each hydrogen atom). This gives a total of four electron groups.

3. Apply VSEPR theory: The Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory suggests that electron groups around a central atom will arrange themselves in a way that minimizes electron-electron repulsion. In this case, the lone pairs of electrons exert a slightly greater repulsion compared to the bonding pairs.

4. Determine the molecular geometry: Based on the VSEPR theory, the water molecule adopts a bent or V-shaped molecular geometry. The two lone pairs of electrons on the oxygen atom push the bonding pairs closer together, resulting in a bent shape with an approximate bond angle of 104.5 degrees.

Thus, the molecular structure around the oxygen in water is bent or V-shaped.