Complete the Preparation page before laboratory. Thus the shape adopted by the molecules of a substance determines the melting and boiling points, solubility, strength, and reactivity of the substance.
Molecular shape is a consequence of the distribution of electrons in a molecule.
It would seem to be a difficult matter to predict the distribution of electrons, and indeed to do so precisely requires sophisticated experimental and theoretical methods. The essential idea of the theory is that electron groups in the valence shell of an atom distribute to minimize repulsions between them . Once the Lewis structure is available, the electron groups can be counted, and the distribution of groups about any chosen atom can be predicted using Table 1. The purpose of this workshop is to familiarize you with the relatively limited number of molecular shapes by giving you an opportunity to build models. Focus Questions Focus Questions are included in the Experimental Procedure, below.