Describe and explain the shape and bond angle of ammonia

So firstly, we need to work out the basic shape of the molecule which we can do by drawing the lewis structure (dot and cross diagram) and counting the number of charge clouds around the central atom. In the case of ammonia there are 4 charge clouds (3 bonding pairs and 1 lone pair) so the basic shape of ammonia is tetrahedral and the bond angle is 109.5 degrees.
However, as you can see there are 3 bonding pairs (nitrogen bonded to hydrogen) and one lone pair of electrons (unpaired electrons on the nitrogen). The lone pairs distort the shape of the molecule because they're closer to the nitrogen and therefore repel more than bonding pairs of electrons. So the bonding pairs of electrons are pushed as far apart as possible in order to minimise repulsion. Therefore, the actual shape is trigonal pyramidal with a bond angle of 107 degrees.

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Why is a benzene ring so stable (3 marks)?


The reversible reaction 2 SO2 (g) + O2 (g) <-> 2 SO3 (g) has a delta H value of -197 kJ/mol. Use Le Chatelier's principle to explain what conditions would give the highest equilibrium yield and why industry uses different conditions. (5 marks)


Flask Q (volume = 1.00 x 103 cm3 ) is filled with ammonia (NH3) at 102 kPa and 300 K. The tap is closed and there is a vacuum in flask P. (Gas constant R = 8.31 J K−1 mol−1 ) Calculate the mass of ammonia


Pure water has a boiling point of 100 °C and a freezing point of 0 °C. What is the boiling point and freezing point of a sample of aqueous sodium chloride?