VSEPR Flashcards: Molecular Geometry & Bond Angles
Practice VSEPR shapes, electron geometry, lone pairs, AXE notation, and ideal bond angles with 78 focused English flashcards.
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Practice VSEPR molecular geometry with 78 English flashcards for high-school and introductory-college chemistry. You should already be able to read simple formulas and Lewis structures. This is focused shape prediction and recall, not a complete chemistry course.
Cards map electron-domain counts to electron geometry; AXE notation to molecular shape and, where lone pairs change the shape, to electron geometry; and selected molecular formulas to shape. Separate prompts retrieve ideal bond-angle benchmarks. A few reverse prompts recover AXE notation from a shape plus its domain count. Contrast and error-diagnosis questions distinguish electron geometry from molecular geometry, count multiple bonds correctly, and show why a shape name alone may not determine the domain count or an exact angle.
The 13 cases are AX₂; AX₃ and AX₂E; AX₄, AX₃E, and AX₂E₂; AX₅, AX₄E, AX₃E₂, and AX₂E₃; and AX₆, AX₅E, and AX₄E₂. Later cards cover axial and equatorial sites, usual lone-pair placements, and ideal versus actual angles. The sequence starts with domains and notation, develops two-to-four-domain cases, then interleaves five- and six-domain cases before final comparisons. Related prompts are separated; the review scheduler handles longer-term spacing.
Practice is text based. Diagram identification, exhaustive Lewis-structure construction, formal charges, polarity, radicals, transition-metal coordination, seven-domain cases, hybridization, and molecular-orbital theory are excluded to keep the deck focused. Shape-to-molecule lists and every possible reverse mapping are omitted because many answers would be valid. Numerical species-angle tables are omitted: ideal benchmarks do not give exact measured angles for every molecule.
All cards carry the VSEPR tag. Original questions, answers, organization, and metadata were prepared with AI assistance and checked against university chemistry references. The cover is an original AI-generated illustration of a generic tetrahedral model; its colors do not identify elements. No source prose, diagrams, competitor cards, or examination questions were copied. Common chemical facts are not claimed as proprietary. Original material, including the generated cover to the extent applicable rights exist, is dedicated under CC0 1.0. This is independent study material, with no university, course, or examination endorsement.
Kadi za fungu hili
Kadi namba 1
Swali
In VSEPR, what is an electron domain around a central atom?
Jibu
A region of electron density: one bond to a neighboring atom, regardless of bond order, or one lone pair.
Kadi namba 2
Swali
What does the VSEPR model use to predict a central atom’s geometry?
Jibu
Repulsion between electron domains. The domains favor an arrangement that reduces their mutual repulsion.
Kadi namba 3
Swali
In AXₙEₘ notation, what does A represent?
Jibu
The central atom whose local geometry is being described.
Kadi namba 4
Swali
How do electron geometry and molecular geometry differ in VSEPR?
Jibu
Electron geometry includes all electron domains. Molecular geometry describes the arrangement of atoms around the central atom, leaving lone pairs out of the shape name.
Kadi namba 5
Swali
How many VSEPR domains does one triple bond contribute at either bonded atom?
Jibu
One domain. Three shared electron pairs occupy one bonding direction.
Kadi namba 6
Swali
In AXₙEₘ notation, what does n count?
Jibu
Atoms directly bonded to the central atom. A double or triple bond still contributes one X.
Kadi namba 7
Swali
For a molecule with several central atoms, where do you apply VSEPR?
Jibu
At each central atom separately, using its own bonded neighbors and lone pairs.
Kadi namba 8
Swali
In AXₙEₘ notation, what does m count?
Jibu
Lone pairs on the central atom. E counts pairs, not individual electrons.
Kadi namba 9
Swali
For an AXₙEₘ center in the usual closed-shell VSEPR model, how many electron domains are present?
Jibu
n + m domains: bonded neighbors plus lone pairs.
Kadi namba 10
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₂, with no lone pairs on A?
Jibu
Linear. The two bonded atoms lie on opposite sides of the central atom.
Kadi namba 11
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₃, with no lone pairs on A?
Jibu
Trigonal planar. The central atom and three bonded atoms lie in one plane.
Kadi namba 12
Swali
In an X–A–X bond angle, at which atom is the angle measured?
Jibu
At A, the central atom, between the two bonds to X atoms.
Kadi namba 13
Swali
Does a lone pair count as one VSEPR domain or two?
Jibu
One domain. The pair contains two electrons, but it occupies one region around the central atom.
Kadi namba 14
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₄, with no lone pairs on A?
Jibu
Tetrahedral. The four bonded atoms occupy the corners of a tetrahedron around A.
Kadi namba 15
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₂E?
Jibu
Bent, also called angular or V-shaped. There are two bonded atoms and one lone pair around A.
Kadi namba 16
Swali
What is the ideal X–A–X bond angle in AX₂ with no lone pairs?
Jibu
180°.
Kadi namba 17
Swali
What electron geometry does VSEPR assign to three domains around a central atom?
Jibu
Trigonal planar.
Kadi namba 18
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₃E?
Jibu
Trigonal pyramidal. Three bonded atoms and one lone pair occupy four electron domains.
Kadi namba 19
Swali
What is the ideal X–A–X bond angle in tetrahedral AX₄?
Jibu
About 109.5°.
Kadi namba 20
Swali
A central atom has two bonded neighbors and two lone pairs. What is its AXE notation?
Jibu
AX₂E₂.
Kadi namba 21
Swali
What is the ideal X–A–X bond angle in trigonal planar AX₃?
Jibu
120°.
Kadi namba 22
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₂E₂?
Jibu
Bent, also called angular or V-shaped. Two lone pairs occupy the other two domains.
Kadi namba 23
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₃E?
Jibu
Tetrahedral: three bonding domains plus one lone-pair domain.
Kadi namba 24
Swali
In O=C=O, how many electron domains surround carbon?
Jibu
Two domains. Each C=O double bond counts once.
Kadi namba 25
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₂E?
Jibu
Trigonal planar: two bonding domains plus one lone-pair domain.
Kadi namba 26
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict around carbon in CH₄?
Jibu
Tetrahedral. Carbon has four bonded neighbors and no lone pairs.
Kadi namba 27
Swali
A learner counts a double bond as two VSEPR domains. What should they correct?
Jibu
Count it as one domain. Bond order changes the number of shared electrons, not the number of bonded directions.
Kadi namba 28
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict around nitrogen in NH₃?
Jibu
Trigonal pyramidal. Nitrogen has three bonded neighbors and one lone pair.
Kadi namba 29
Swali
What electron geometry does VSEPR assign to four domains around a central atom?
Jibu
Tetrahedral.
Kadi namba 30
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict around oxygen in H₂O?
Jibu
Bent. Oxygen has two bonded neighbors and two lone pairs.
Kadi namba 31
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict around carbon in the carbonate ion, CO₃²⁻?
Jibu
Trigonal planar. The three C–O bonding directions give three domains, even when a Lewis structure shows one double bond.
Kadi namba 32
Swali
In the simple VSEPR model, how does a central lone pair usually affect neighboring bond angles?
Jibu
It tends to compress nearby bond angles because its electron density occupies more space near the central atom. This is a qualitative tendency, not a fixed number of degrees.
Kadi namba 33
Swali
A VSEPR center is trigonal pyramidal with four total domains. What is its AXE notation?
Jibu
AX₃E: three bonded atoms and one lone pair.
Kadi namba 34
Swali
Which two common AXE cases give a bent molecular shape with three or four total domains?
Jibu
AX₂E with three domains, and AX₂E₂ with four domains. Their electron geometries differ.
Kadi namba 35
Swali
What electron geometry does VSEPR assign to five domains around a central atom?
Jibu
Trigonal bipyramidal.
Kadi namba 36
Swali
What electron geometry does VSEPR assign to six domains around a central atom?
Jibu
Octahedral.
Kadi namba 37
Swali
Does an ideal VSEPR angle give the exact measured angle in every molecule of that shape?
Jibu
No. It is a geometric benchmark; lone pairs and the bonding environment can change actual angles.
Kadi namba 38
Swali
How many axial and equatorial positions are in a trigonal bipyramid?
Jibu
Two axial positions and three equatorial positions.
Kadi namba 39
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₅, with no lone pairs on A?
Jibu
Trigonal bipyramidal.
Kadi namba 40
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₆, with no lone pairs on A?
Jibu
Octahedral.
Kadi namba 41
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₄E in the usual lowest-repulsion arrangement?
Jibu
Seesaw. The lone pair occupies an equatorial position in a trigonal-bipyramidal domain arrangement.
Kadi namba 42
Swali
In an ideal trigonal bipyramid, what is the angle between two equatorial bonds?
Jibu
120°.
Kadi namba 43
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₃E₂ in the usual lowest-repulsion arrangement?
Jibu
T-shaped. Both lone pairs occupy equatorial positions.
Kadi namba 44
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₅E?
Jibu
Square pyramidal. One lone pair occupies the sixth position of an octahedral domain arrangement.
Kadi namba 45
Swali
In an ideal trigonal bipyramid, what is the angle between an axial bond and an equatorial bond?
Jibu
90°.
Kadi namba 46
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₂E₃ in the usual lowest-repulsion arrangement?
Jibu
Linear. Three equatorial lone pairs leave the two bonded atoms in opposite axial positions.
Kadi namba 47
Swali
VSEPR molecular shape of AX₄E₂ in the usual lowest-repulsion arrangement?
Jibu
Square planar. Two opposite lone pairs leave four bonded atoms in a square around A.
Kadi namba 48
Swali
In a trigonal-bipyramidal domain arrangement, which sites do lone pairs preferentially occupy?
Jibu
Equatorial sites, in the usual VSEPR arrangements with one to three lone pairs.
Kadi namba 49
Swali
Which X–A–X angles occur in an ideal octahedral AX₆ molecule?
Jibu
90° between adjacent bonds and 180° between opposite bonds.
Kadi namba 50
Swali
A VSEPR center has a seesaw shape and five total domains. What is its AXE notation?
Jibu
AX₄E.
Kadi namba 51
Swali
A VSEPR center has a T-shaped molecular geometry and five total domains. What is its AXE notation?
Jibu
AX₃E₂.
Kadi namba 52
Swali
In an ideal trigonal bipyramid, what is the angle between its two axial bonds?
Jibu
180°. The axial positions lie on opposite sides of the central atom.
Kadi namba 53
Swali
A VSEPR center is square pyramidal with six total domains. What is its AXE notation?
Jibu
AX₅E.
Kadi namba 54
Swali
In the usual octahedral AX₄E₂ arrangement, how are the two lone pairs positioned relative to each other?
Jibu
Opposite each other, 180° apart in the ideal domain arrangement.
Kadi namba 55
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict for an isolated SF₄ molecule?
Jibu
Seesaw. Sulfur has four bonded fluorine atoms and one lone pair.
Kadi namba 56
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict for an isolated XeF₂ molecule?
Jibu
Linear. Xenon has two bonded fluorine atoms and three lone pairs.
Kadi namba 57
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₃E₂?
Jibu
Trigonal bipyramidal: three bonding domains plus two lone-pair domains.
Kadi namba 58
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict for an isolated BrF₅ molecule?
Jibu
Square pyramidal. Bromine has five bonded fluorine atoms and one lone pair.
Kadi namba 59
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict for an isolated XeF₄ molecule?
Jibu
Square planar. Xenon has four bonded fluorine atoms and two opposite lone pairs.
Kadi namba 60
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₄E?
Jibu
Trigonal bipyramidal: four bonding domains plus one lone-pair domain.
Kadi namba 61
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict for an isolated ClF₃ molecule?
Jibu
T-shaped. Chlorine has three bonded fluorine atoms and two equatorial lone pairs.
Kadi namba 62
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₅E?
Jibu
Octahedral: five bonding domains plus one lone-pair domain.
Kadi namba 63
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₂E₃?
Jibu
Trigonal bipyramidal: two bonding domains plus three lone-pair domains.
Kadi namba 64
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict for an isolated SF₆ molecule?
Jibu
Octahedral. Sulfur has six bonded fluorine atoms and no lone pairs.
Kadi namba 65
Swali
Which bond angles occur in an idealized T-shaped AX₃E₂ arrangement?
Jibu
90° and 180°. These are parent-geometry benchmarks; a real molecule can be distorted.
Kadi namba 66
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₄E₂?
Jibu
Octahedral: four bonding domains plus two lone-pair domains.
Kadi namba 67
Swali
Why does an octahedral VSEPR arrangement have six domains despite the name’s reference to eight?
Jibu
The six domains point toward the six vertices of an octahedron. Eight refers to the solid’s faces.
Kadi namba 68
Swali
Why does a lone pair in AX₄E favor an equatorial site over an axial site?
Jibu
An equatorial site has two 90° interactions with other domains; an axial site has three. The equatorial choice reduces these close repulsions.
Kadi namba 69
Swali
Which common AXE cases give a linear molecular shape with two or five total domains?
Jibu
AX₂ with two domains, and AX₂E₃ with five domains. A linear shape alone does not determine the electron geometry.
Kadi namba 70
Swali
Which bond angles occur in an idealized square-pyramidal AX₅E arrangement?
Jibu
90° and 180°. Actual angles can deviate from these octahedral parent benchmarks.
Kadi namba 71
Swali
A VSEPR center is square planar with six total domains. What is its AXE notation?
Jibu
AX₄E₂.
Kadi namba 72
Swali
A learner assigns every bent molecule the same bond angle. What information are they missing?
Jibu
The electron-domain arrangement and the particular molecule. Bent includes AX₂E and AX₂E₂, and actual angles depend on the species.
Kadi namba 73
Swali
A learner calls NH₃ tetrahedral because nitrogen has four domains. What shape distinction resolves the error?
Jibu
Tetrahedral is its electron geometry. Its molecular geometry is trigonal pyramidal because only the three bonded atoms define that shape.
Kadi namba 74
Swali
Why can four bonded atoms give tetrahedral AX₄ but square planar AX₄E₂?
Jibu
AX₄ has four total domains. AX₄E₂ has six total domains, with two opposite lone pairs in an octahedral arrangement.
Kadi namba 75
Swali
Which ideal parent angles are the benchmarks for an AX₄E seesaw arrangement?
Jibu
90°, 120°, and 180° from trigonal-bipyramidal electron geometry. Lone-pair repulsion can distort the actual bond angles.
Kadi namba 76
Swali
What molecular shape does VSEPR predict for an isolated PF₅ molecule?
Jibu
Trigonal bipyramidal. Phosphorus has five bonded fluorine atoms and no lone pairs.
Kadi namba 77
Swali
What is the electron geometry around A in AX₂E₂?
Jibu
Tetrahedral: two bonding domains plus two lone-pair domains.
Kadi namba 78
Swali
Which X–A–X bond angles occur in an ideal square-planar AX₄E₂ arrangement?
Jibu
90° between adjacent bonds and 180° between opposite bonds.
kadi 78
VSEPR Flashcards: Molecular Geometry & Bond Angles
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