page_title: VSEPR theory
hierarchical_section_title: VSEPR theory
caption_attribution_description: Structure and dimensions of the water molecule, H2O. Data from Greenwood, N. N.; Earnshaw, A. (1997) Chemistry of the Elements&#32;(2nd ed.), Oxford:Butterworth-Heinemann ISBN&#58; 0-7506-3365-4.&#32;. Structure drawn in ChemDraw Ultra 11.0.
context_page_description: Valence shell electron pair repulsion theory, or VSEPR theory, is a model used in chemistry to predict the geometry of individual molecules from the number of electron pairs surrounding their central atoms. It is also named the Gillespie-Nyholm theory after its two main developers, Ronald Gillespie and Ronald Nyholm.
  The premise of VSEPR is that the valence electron pairs surrounding an atom tend to repel each other and will, therefore, adopt an arrangement that minimizes this repulsion. This in turn decreases the molecule's energy and increases its stability, which determines the molecular geometry. Gillespie has emphasized that the electron-electron repulsion due to the Pauli exclusion principle is more important in determining molecular geometry than the electrostatic repulsion.
  VSEPR theory is based on observable electron density rather than mathematical wave functions and hence unrelated to orbital hybridisation, although both address molecular shape. VSEPR has a physical basis in quantum chemical topology methods such as the electron localization function and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules.
context_section_description: Valence shell electron pair repulsion theory, or VSEPR theory (/ˈvɛspər, vəˈsɛpər/ VESP-ər, və-SEP-ər), is a model used in chemistry to predict the geometry of individual molecules from the number of electron pairs surrounding their central atoms. It is also named the Gillespie-Nyholm theory after its two main developers, Ronald Gillespie and Ronald Nyholm.
  The premise of VSEPR is that the valence electron pairs surrounding an atom tend to repel each other and will, therefore, adopt an arrangement that minimizes this repulsion. This in turn decreases the molecule's energy and increases its stability, which determines the molecular geometry.  Gillespie has emphasized that the electron-electron repulsion due to the Pauli exclusion principle is more important in determining molecular geometry than the electrostatic repulsion.
  VSEPR theory is based on observable electron density rather than mathematical wave functions and hence unrelated to orbital hybridisation, although both address molecular shape. VSEPR has a physical basis in quantum chemical topology (QCT) methods such as the electron localization function (ELF) and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (AIM or QTAIM).
caption: Example of bent electron arrangement. Shows location of unpaired electrons, bonded atoms, and bond angles. (Water molecule)  The bond angle for water is 104.5°.
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