Chem 1035

Test 3

November 11, 2014

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INSTRUCTIONS READ THESE!

Make sure that your opscan is filled with:

o Your name
o ID NUMBER (WRITE and BUBBLE CORRECTLY)
o Test Version Letter (You will find the test version noted inside. DO NOT open your
test until you are instructed).

Work each problem on this test copy, then circle the single best answer, and bubble the
corresponding circle on the opscan.

Turn in your opscan and THIS COVER SHEET to receive a grade; you may keep
your test copy, starting with page 3.

IMPORTANT! You MUST correctly bubble your student ID# to obtain a grade on this test!
You MUST also mark the test version on your opscan to receive a grade. Failure to correctly include
your student ID# and /or to enter a test version on your opscan will mean that you will NOT get a
grade on this test!!

Use the blank sheets of paper at the end of the test to draw the necessary Lewis
structures. (These will not be graded, but you will need to refer to them to answer the test
questions.)

There is a Periodic Table on the back of this page.

All Lewis structures are found at the end of this document.

1.

Two elements with symbols Q and Z each have seven valence electrons. Which of the
following compounds is most likely to form between these two elements?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

a covalent compound with a single bond and formula QZ

a covalent compound with a double bond and formula QZ
an ionic compound in which the ions are Q+ and Z
an ionic compound in which the ions are Q7+ and Z7
an ionic compound in which the ions are Q2+ and Z2

Answer: A. a covalent compound with a single bond and formula QZ

Elements Q and Z both have seven valence electrons and therefore each needs only one
more electron to get a noble gas configuration with eight valence electrons. An ionic
compound will not be formed between these two elements since one element would have
to give the second element one electron so that the second element would get eight
valence electrons, leaving the first element with six valence electrons. Instead a covalent
compound is formed between the two elements; each element shares one electron with
the other element in a single bond and each element would have eight electrons in its
valence shell.
2.

Which of the following bonds is most polar?

A. PO

B. NF

C. PF

D. PCl

E. FF

Answer: C. PF
When there is a difference in electronegativity values between two elements in a covalent
bond, the electrons are unequally shared and the bond is polar since there are two distinct
ends: a partially positive end and a partially negative end. The larger the difference in
electronegativity values between the two atoms, the more polar the bond.
Electronegativity values increase up a group in the periodic table and left to right across
the rows. The bond between P and F is the most polar. Of the elements listed, P, O, N,
F and Cl, P has the lowest electronegativity value since it is farthest to the left and
farthest down in a column. Of the elements listed, F has the highest electronegativity
since it is in the upper right corner. Therefore, the electronegativity difference between P
and F will be larger than in any of the other bonds listed.
3.

Consider three hydrocarbon compounds: ethane, CH3CH3; ethene, CH2CH2; and

ethyne, CHCH, in all of which the two carbon atoms are bonded to each other. Of the
three, ethyne has the _____________ carbon-carbon bond.
A. longest and strongest
C. shortest and strongest

B. shortest and weakest

D. longest and weakest

Answer: C. shortest and strongest

In general, triple bonds are shorter than double bonds which are shorter than single
bonds. Bond length decreases as the number of electrons shared between the two atoms
increases since more electrons in the bonds draw the two atoms closer together. In
ethane there is a single bond between the two carbon atoms; in ethene, there is a double
bond between the two carbon atoms and in ethyne, there is a triple bond between the
two carbon atoms. So ethyne has the shortest bond.
The shorter a bond, the stronger the bond. Three pairs of electrons in a triple bond more
strongly attract the two nuclei than only two or one pair of electrons.
4.

Which of the following is true of an endothermic reaction?

A. Stronger bonds break and weaker bonds form.
B. Weaker bonds break and stronger bonds form.
C. The bonds that break and those that form are of approximately the
same strength.
D. Energy is released as a result of the reaction.
E. The heat of reaction is a negative value.
Answer: A. Stronger bonds break and weaker bonds form.
Heat of reaction = energy required to break bonds in reactant molecules (+) + energy
released in bond formation in product molecules (). If the energy absorbed in breaking
bonds is greater than the energy released in forming new bonds, the overall heat of
reaction will result in a net amount of energy being absorbed. A reaction in which energy
is absorbed is an endothermic reaction. More energy involved in breaking bonds than in
forming bonds means that stronger bonds were broken while the bonds that were formed
were weaker and did not release as much energy.

5.

Covalent bonds are most likely to be formed between

A. an atom with a high electron affinity and an atom with a low ionization
energy.
B. an atom with a low electron affinity and an atom with a high ionization
energy.
C. two atoms with high electron affinities and high ionization energies.
D. two atoms with low electron affinities and low ionization energies.
E. an atom with a low electronegativity and an atom with a high ionization
energy.
Answer: C. two atoms with high electron affinities and high ionization energies.

Covalent bonds are formed between nonmetal elements. Nonmetal elements have high
ionization energy values and so do not lose electrons readily. They have high electron
affinity values so they gain electrons readily. So ionic bonds do not form between two
nonmetals, both of which want to gain electrons. Instead, nonmetal elements share
electrons in covalent bonds. Metal elements have low ionization energy values, low
electron affinity values, and low electronegativity values and are not likely to be involved
in covalent compounds.
6.

Which of the following has polar covalent bonds: O3, MgCl2, PF5, Li3N, CCl4?
A. O3
D. PF5, CCl4

B. MgCl2, Li3N
E. MgCl2, PF5, Li3N, CCl4

C. O3, PF5, CCl4

Answer: D. PF5, CCl4

A polar covalent bond occurs in covalent compounds between nonmetal elements that
have different electronegativity values. The electrons in such a bond are shared
unequally, resulting in a bond with a partially positive end and a partially negative end.
PF5, and CCl4 are compounds of nonmetals that have polar covalent bonds. O3 has
covalent bonds but the nonmetal atoms in this molecule are from the same element.
So the atoms in the bonds in this molecule have the same electronegativity values and
thus share electrons equally for a nonpolar bond.
MgCl2 and Li3N are ionic compounds between a metal and nonmetal element.
Electrons are not shared; these have ionic bonds.
7.

In which of the following is the polarity of the bond marked incorrectly?

A. SF

B. PCl

D. OC

E. NH

C. ClBr

Answer: D. OC
When there is a difference in electronegativity values between two elements in a covalent
bond, the electrons are unequally shared and the bond is polar since there are two distinct
ends: a partially positive end and a partially negative end. The element that is more
electronegative draws the electron cloud towards itself and so has a partial negative
charge while the element that is less electronegative has a partial positive charge.
Polarity is either indicated with a polar arrow that points towards the more
electronegative element or by the lower case Greek letter delta and a + sign for the less
electronegative element and a sign for the more electronegative element.
Electronegativity values increase up a group in the periodic table and left to right across
the rows.

In A and C, the polar arrow correctly points towards the more electronegative F (in A)
and the more electronegative Cl (in C). In B and E, the partial negative charge is
correctly placed over the more electronegative Cl (in B) and the more electronegative N
(in E). But in C, the partial negative charge is incorrectly placed over the oxygen atom
despite the fact that oxygen is more electronegative than C.
8.

Which of the following substances has the greatest ionic character?

A. AlCl3
D. SiCl4

B. MgCl2
E. MgS

C. CaCl2

Answer: C. CaCl2
The ionic compound with the greates ionic character would involve a metal and nonmetal
with the largest difference in electronegativity. The larger the difference in
electronegativity values, the more polar (or ionic) the bond.
Electronegativity values increase up a group in the periodic table and left to right across
the rows. Of the metals listed, Ca has the lowest electronegativity. Cl is more
electronegative than S. Therefore the electronegativity difference between Ca and Cl is
larger than in the other compounds listed, so the bonds in CaCl2 are more ionic-like and
less covalent-like.
9.

Which of the following lists the compounds in order of decreasing lattice energy?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

MgF2 > Na2O > K2O > SrO > KF

SrO > Na2O > MgF2 > K2O > KF
MgF2 > Na2O > KF > K2O > SrO
KF > MgF2 > K2O > Na2O > SrO
SrO > MgF2 > Na2O > K2O > KF

Answer: E. SrO > MgF2 > Na2O > K2O > KF

Two factors contribute to the value of lattice energy for an ionic compound. One is the
magnitude of the charge of the ions; the greater the charge of the ions, the greater the
value of the lattice energy. Lattice energy increases as the charge on the ions increase.
The charges of the ions in these compounds are:
+2 2
+2 1
+1 2
+1 2 +1 1
Na2O
K2O
KF
SrO
MgF2
So SrO with two ions of +2 and 2 would have the largest lattice energy and KF with two
ions of only +1 and 1 would have the smallest lattice energy.
The other factor determining the lattice energy value is the size of the ions. The larger
the ions, the smaller the lattice energy. The size of ions with the same charge sign
(+ or ) decreases up a group and left to right in the periodic table. Therefore, K is larger
than Na which is larger than Mg and O is larger than F. Of the three compounds with

ions having a charge of +2 and 1 or +1 and 2, MgF2 has the smaller ions and therefore
has the largest lattice energy of these three compounds. The lattice energy of Na2O is
larger than that of K2O since the sodium ion is smaller than the potassium ion.

THIS IS TEST VERSION A. MARK THE TEST VERSION ON YOUR

OPSCAN NOW!
10.

Use bond energies to calculate the heat of reaction (Hrxn) for the following reaction:

Bond energy:
(kJ/mol)

CC
347

A. 2570 kJ
D. 1695 kJ

CO
799
B. 2223 kJ
E. 2042 kJ

CH
413

OH
467

OO
498

C. 1902 kJ

Answer: E. 2042 kJ
Heat of reaction = energy required to break bonds in reactant molecules (+) + energy
released in bond formation in product molecules ().
Bond energy required to break bonds:

8 CH bonds: 8(413 kJ/mol) =

2 CC bonds: 2(347 kJ/mol) =
5 O=O bonds: 5(498 kJ/mol) =
Total:

3304 kJ
694 kJ
2490 kJ
6488 kJ

Bond energy released in bond formation:

6 C=O bonds: 6(799 kJ/mol) = 4794 kJ

8 OH bonds: 8(467 kJ/mol) = 3736 kJ
Total:
8530 kJ

Notice that bond formation releases energy so the values of the bond energies are negative.
Heat of reaction = 6488 + (8530) = 2042 kJ

11.

Consider CH4 and CF4. Which statement is false?

(Electronegativity values: C = 2.5, H = 2.1, F = 4.0)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Both have tetrahedral geometries

The bond angles in CF4 are smaller than those in CH4
The C-F bonds are more polar than the C-H bonds.
Both molecules are nonpolar.
Carbon has a partial positive charge in CF4 and a partial negative charge in CH4.

Answer: B. The bond angles in CF4 are smaller than those in CH4
See the Lewis structures for these species at the end of this test. Since the central carbon
atom in both molecules has four electron regions and each region is a single bond, both
molecules have a tetrahedral geometry with bond angles of 109.5. The electronegativity
difference of a CF bond is 4.0 2.5 = 1.5 while the electronegativity difference in the
CH bond is 2.5 21. = 0.4. So the CF is more polar than the CH bond. Carbon does
have the partial positive charge in CF4 since C is less electronegative than F while carbon
has the partial negative charge in CH4 since C is more electronegative than H.
12.

Which of the following statements about BrF3 and SO3 is true?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Both molecules are polar

Both molecules are nonpolar.
BrF3 is nonpolar and SO3 is polar
BrF3 is polar and SO3 is nonpolar.

Answer: D. BrF3 is polar and SO3 is nonpolar.

See the Lewis structures for these substances at the end of the test. BrF3 has 5 regions of
electrons which are arranged in a trigonal bipyramid; two corners of the trigonal
bipyramid are occupied by unshared pairs, so the molecule has a T-shaped geometry.
The three polar BrF bonds do NOT cancel out and the molecular is polar. SO3 has three
regions of electrons arranged in a trigonal planar geometry, with an atom in each corner.
The SO bonds are polar but the symmetrical arrangement of these three bonds means
that the polar bonds cancel and the molecule is not polar.
13.

Which of the following has the smallest bond angles?

A. BrO2
D. XeO4

B. HNO (N is the central atom)

E. H2CO (C is the central atom)

C. AsF3

Answer: A. BrO2
See the Lewis structures for these substances at the end of the test. XeO4 has 4
electron
regions around the central atom, arranged in a tetrahedral arrangement
with bond angles
of 109.5. H2CO arranges its three electron regions in a trigonal

planar arrangement with

bond angles of 120. There is an atom in each corner of
the triangle. HNO arranges its
three electron regions in a trigonal planar
arrangement with bond angles of 120. The one unshared pair reduces that bond angle to
< 120. AsF3 has four electron regions arranged in a tetrahedron. However, one of the
corners of the tetrahedron has an unshared pair instead of an atom. Unshared electron
pairs get more than shared pairs so the ideal bond angle of 109.5 will be smaller in AsF3.
There are also 4 regions of electrons in BrO2, arranged in a tetrahedron with unshared
pairs in two corners of the tetrahedron. The two unshared pairs of electrons reduce the
bond angle of 109.5 more than the one unshared pair in AsF3 so the bond angle is
smaller in . BrO2.
14.

Rank these species in order of increasing bond length between C and O:

CO32, CO, CO2.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

CO < CO2 < CO32

CO < CO32 < CO2
CO32 < CO2 < CO
CO32 < CO < CO2
CO2 < CO32 < CO

Answer: A. CO < CO2 < CO32

See the Lewis structures for these substances at the end of the test. A single bond
between two atoms is longer than a double bond, which is longer than a triple bond. The
more shared electrons pairs there are between two atoms, the shorter the bond. Look at
the Lewis structures for these three substances. There is a triple CO bond in O and a
double C=O bond in CO2. CO32_ exists as 3 resonance structures with the bond between
the C and O atoms a single or double bond which averages to a bond order of 1.3 (the
double bond can be in one of 3 places). The triple bond is shortest, the double bond is
longer and the bond order of 1.3 is the longest.
15.

Which of the following has NO unshared pairs of electrons on the central atom?
A. XeOF4 (Xe is central)
D. ICl4

B. AsF3
E. O3

C. BrO4

Answer: C. BrO4
See the Lewis structures for these species at the end of this test. The central atom I in
ICl4 has two unshared pairs of electrons. As in AsF3, O in O3, and Xe in XeOF4 each
have one unshared pair of electrons. Br in BrO4 has NO unshared pairs of electrons.

16.

Which of the following has an atom that is an exception to the octet rule?
A. AsF3
D. O3

B. HNO (N is central)
E. CO32

C. BrF3

Answer: C. BrF3
Look at the Lewis structures of all of these species at the end of the test. AsF3, HNO,
O3, and CO32 each have atoms with 8 electrons, an octet (remember that for hydrogen,
an octet is only 2 electrons). But in BrF3, the central atom Br has a total of 10
electrons, three shared pairs (bonds) and 2 unshared
pairs of electrons, for an
expanded octet.
17.

Which of the following do (does) NOT have a 180 bond angle:

HNO (N is central), HCN (C is central), CO2, BrO2
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

HCN and HNO

CO2 and BrO2
HNO and BrO2
CO2
All of these have 180 bond angles.

Answer: C. HNO and BrO2

See the Lewis structures for these substances at the end of the test.
HNO arranges its three electron regions into a trigonal planar geometry. One of the
corners of the triangle is occupied by an unshared electron pair, so the atoms are arranged
in a bent molecular geometry with a bond angle of < 120. There are 4 regions of
electrons in BrO2, arranged in a tetrahedron with unshared pairs in two corners of the
tetrahedron. The two unshared pairs of electrons reduce the bond angles to < 109.5.
Both HCN and CO2 have a central atom with only two electron regions, which are
arranged linearly with a bond angle of 180.
18.

What is the molecular geometry of XeF5+?

A. Trigonal bipyramid
D. Square pyramid

B. See-saw
E. Square planar

C. Tetrahedral

Answer: D. Square pyramid

Look at the Lewis structure of XeF5+ at the end of this test. There are 6 electron regions
on the central atom Xe, five single bonds and one unshared pair of electrons. These 6
regions would be arranged around the central atom in an octahedral arrangement. One

corner in the octahedron has an unshared pair of electrons instead of an atom so the
molecular geometry is square pyramid.
19.

Rank the following possible structures of N2O from least important to most important:

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

B<A<C
B<C <A
A<B<C
A<C<B
C<B<A

Answer: A. B < A < C

Assign formal charges to each atom in each resonance structure to determine the
importance of each resonance structure:
Formal charge = # of valence electrons [# of unshared electrons + (# of shared

electrons)]

N at the end: 5 [4 + (4)] = 5 6 = 1

N in the middle: 5 [0 + (8)] = 5 4 = +1
O:
6 [4 + (4)] = 6 6 = 0

N at the end: 5 [6 + (2)] = 5 7 = 2

N in the middle: 5 [0 + (8)] = 5 4 = +1
O:
6 [2 + (6)] = 6 5 = +1

N at the end: 5 [2 + (6)] = 5 5 = 0

N in the middle: 5 [0 + (8)] = 5 4 = +1
O:
6 [6 + (6)] = 6 5 = 1
Structure B is the least important structure. Formal charges close to 0 are preferable to
larger charges. Structure B has an atom with a formal charge of 2. Structure C is more
important than Structure A. Both have atoms with formal charges of +1 and 1. But a more
negative formal charge should reside on the more electronegative atom. Since O is more

electronegative than N, Structure C with the 1 formal charge on O is better than

Structure A with a 1 formal charge on N.
20.

Which of the following statements about XeO4 is correct?

A.
B.
C.
D.

XeO4 has polar bonds and is a polar molecule.

XeO4 has nonpolar bonds and is a polar molecule.
XeO4 has polar bonds and is a nonpolar molecule.
XeO4 has nonpolar bonds and is a nonpolar molecule.

Answer: C. XeO4 has polar bonds and is a nonpolar molecule.

See the Lewis structures for XeO4 at the end of this test.
XeO4 has 4 polar Xe-O bonds; since O and Xe have different values of electronegativity,
the electron pair shared between them is shared unequally. XeO4 has a symmetrical
tetrahedral geometry in which the four polar Xe-O bonds cancel, so this molecule is not
polar.
21.

What are the formal charges of I and Cl in the ion ICl4?

A. I = 1 and Cl = 1
C. I = 0 and Cl = 0
E. I = 1 and Cl = 0

B. I = 0 and Cl = 1
D. I = 3 and Cl = 1

Answer: E. I = 1 and Cl = 0
Formal charge = # of valence electron [# of unshared electrons + (# of shared electrons)]
See the Lewis structure for ICl4 at the end of this test.
I in Group 17 has 7 valence electrons. In the Lewis structure of the ion, I has 4
unshared electrons. I has 4 single bonds (4 shared pairs or 8 shared electrons)
So for I: Formal charge = 7 [4 + (8)] = 7 8 = 1
Cl in Group 17 has 7 valence electrons. In the Lewis structure of the ion, each Cl has
6 unshared electrons (3 unshared pairs). Cl has 1 single bond (1 shared pair or 2
shared electrons).
So for Cl: Formal charge = 7 [6 + (2)] = 7 7 = 0

22.

What is the strongest bond in the following molecule?

A. CH
D. CN

B. CC
E. CC

C. CN

Answer: D. CN
In general, double bonds are stronger than single bonds as two electron pairs bond the
two atoms more tightly than just one electron pair in a single bond. Since the N atom has
a smaller radius than a C atom, the CN would be shorter and therefore stronger than the
longer CC bond.
23.

Which of the following has important resonance structures?

A. HCN
D. ICl4

B. SO3
E. PF5

C. AsF3

Answer: B. SO3
Look at the Lewis structures of all of these species at the end of the test. Resonance
structures exist when there is more than one way to draw a Lewis structure for a species.
HCN, AsF3, ICl4, and PF5 have only single bonds and no possibility of resonance. But
an additional bond is needed in the Lewis structure of SO3 since the too many electrons
are used to give an octet to each atom if only single bonds are used. Since there are three
different places to put the extra bond in SO3, there are three possible Lewis structures
and thus resonance structures.
24.

Which of the following has a Lewis structure in which the bond order of all bonds = 1?
A. H2CO (C is central)
D. O3

B. SO3
E. CO

C. XeF5+

Answer: C. XeF5+
Look at the Lewis structures at the end of this test. A single bond has a bond order of 1
(a double bond has a bond order of 2 and a triple bond has a bond order of 3). All of the
choices have a double or triple bond (considering one resonance structure for SO3 and O3)
except for XeF5+, which has only single bonds with a bond order of 1.

25.

Which of the following has a trigonal planar molecular geometry?

A. AsF3
D. SO3

B. BrF3
E. XeO3

C. O3

Answer: D. SO3
Look at the Lewis structures of these species at the end of this test. AsF3 and XeO3
each have a central atom with 4 electron regions (3 bonds and 1 unshared pair of
electrons) which will be arranged in a tetrahedral arrangement. One corner of the
tetrahedron is occupied by the unshared pair so the molecular geometry is trigonal
pyramid. The central Br atom in BrF3 has 5 electron regions, 3 bonds and 2 unshared
pairs. The 5 electron regions are arranged in a trigonal bipyramid arrangement. Since
two corners of the trigonal bipyramid do not have an atom, the atoms in the species are
arranged in a T-shaped geometry. The central atom in O3 has 3 electron regions arranged
in a trigonal planar arrangement; one corner of the triangle is occupied by an unshared
pair, so the molecular geometry is bent. The central S atom in SO3 has three electron
regions, all of which are bonds. The geometry is trigonal planar, with an atom in each
corner of the triangle.
26.

Consider the Lewis structure of ethanol:

What is the value of the COH bond angle and the value of the HCH bond
angles in this molecule, respectively?
A. 90 and 109.5
C. <109.5 and 109.5
E. < 180 and 109.5

B. < 109.5 and 180

D. 180 and 180

Answer: C. <109.5 and 109.5

The central O in the COH bond has four electron regions (the single CO bond, the
single OH bond, and two unshared pairs). These 4 regions will be arranged in a
tetrahedron. The ideal bond angle of 109.5 will be reduced due to the presence of the
two unshared pairs. This bond angle of < 109.5.
The C atom in any of the HCH bonds has four regions of electrons, all of which are
bonds. So the C arranges these 4 regions in a tetrahedron, with bond angles of 109.5.

27.

Which of the following statements is correct?

A. Ionic bonds typically form between elements with a small difference
in electronegativity values.
B. Bond energy and bond order are inversely proportional.
C. Molecules in which the central atom forms two bonds are always linear.
D. Ionic compounds typically have high melting points.
E. A molecule with polar bonds must be a polar molecule.
Answer: D. Ionic compounds typically have high melting points.
A. Incorrect. Ionic compounds form between metals and nonmetals.
Metals have low electronegativity values while nonmetals have large
electronegativity values. There is usually a large (> 1.7) difference between the two
elements in an ionic bond.
B. Incorrect. Bond energy and bond order are directly proportional. As bond order
increases (single bond (bond order = 1) to double bond (bond order = 2) to triple
bond (bond order = 3)), the bond energy also increases. The higher the bond order,
the stronger the bond.
C. Incorrect. If a central atom forms two bonds and has no unshared pairs, then the
molecule will be linear. But if the central atom forms two bonds but has unshared
pairs, then the molecule is not linear. See the Lewis structure of BrO2 , for example.
D. Correct. Because the oppositely charged ions in ionic compounds are very strongly
attracted to each other, a large amount of energy is required to separate the ions to
melt the compound. Ionic compounds are solids at room temperature with high
melting points.
E. Incorrect. A molecule that arranges its polar bonds in a symmetrical pattern such as
an octahedron will be nonpolar since the polar bonds will cancel.

28.

Which of the following does not have a flat (planar) geometry?

A. BrF3
D. H2CO (C is central)

B. XeO3
E. BrO2

C. ICl4

Answer: B. XeO3
See the Lewis structures for these substances at the end of the test.BrF3is T-shaped,
which is a planar or flat geometry; BrO2 is bent which is also planar. H2CO is
trigonal planar, which is flat and ICl4 is square planar which is also flat. But XeO3
has a trigonal pyramidal geometry which is not a flat geometry

29.

The central atom in a molecule is surrounded by five electron groups (or five regions or
five structural units) and is bonded to four surrounding atoms through single bonds.
The molecular geometry is
A. trigonal pyramid
D. trigonal bipyramid

B. see-saw
E. square pyramid

C. T-shaped

Answer: B. see-saw
A molecule with a central atom that has five electron regions will arrange those regions
in a trigonal bipyramid. If the central atom has only four bonds, one corner of the
trigonal bipyramid must be occupied by an unshared electron pair. The molecular
geometry is then see-saw.
30.

Which of the following is the best description of the bond angle in O3?
A. 180
D. 109.5

B. 120
E. slightly < 109.5

C. slightly < 120

Answer: C. slightly < 120

See the Lewis structure of O3 at the end of the test. The central O atom has three regions
of electrons (bonds to two atoms and one unshared pair). These three regions are arranged in a
trigonal planar arrangement with ideal bond angles of 120. One corner of the triangle is
occupied by an unshared pair. The unshared electron pair repels the bonding pairs, decreasing
the bond angle to less than 120.