What is the (name of the) molecular structure of AlCl3NH3 ?
Probably tetrahedral.
tetrahedral even though there's eight domains...the 8 domains is what i had trouble with.
I didn't count it that way. I looked at it as Al with 3 chlorine atoms attached and a fourth where the NH3 (using it's two unpaired electrons) is attached to Al to complete the octet of Al. Then, of course, the electronic structure of NH3 I see as tetrahedral, also. Thus, I see two tetrahedral structures bonded at one corner. I don't know if this is correct or not. That's just my opinion. AlCl3 does something similar since it dimerizes to form Al2Cl6 and that's the way the Al completes the octet for both Al atoms.
To determine the molecular structure of AlCl3NH3, we need to consider the Lewis structure and the hybridization of the central atom. Let's break it down step by step:
1. Determine the total number of valence electrons:
- Aluminum (Al) is in Group 3, so it has 3 valence electrons.
- Chlorine (Cl) is in Group 7, so it has 7 valence electrons.
- Nitrogen (N) is in Group 5, so it has 5 valence electrons.
- Hydrogen (H) is in Group 1, so it has 1 valence electron.
Therefore, the total number of valence electrons would be:
(Al) + 3(Cl) + 1(N) + 3(H) = 3 + 3(7) + 5 + 3(1) = 26 electrons.
2. Determine the central atom:
In this case, Aluminum (Al) is the central atom since it is less electronegative than the other elements involved.
3. Draw the Lewis structure:
Place Aluminum (Al) in the center and connect it with three Chlorine (Cl) atoms using single bonds. Place an Nitrogen (N) atom bonded with a Hydrogen (H) atom on each side. Finally, distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs around each atom, as needed.
H
|
Cl - Al - Cl
|
H
4. Determine the hybridization of the central atom:
In the Lewis structure, Aluminum (Al) is bonded with four atoms (three Cl and one N) and has no lone pairs. This indicates that Aluminum is using sp3 hybrid orbitals.
Therefore, the hybridization of the central atom, Aluminum (Al), is sp3.
5. Determine the molecular structure:
Based on the Lewis structure and the hybridization of the central atom, the molecular structure of AlCl3NH3 is tetrahedral.