Lone Pairs Lab Report

Lone Pairs ADI

Lone pairs, the electrons that the central atom does not share during a covalent bond, can and will affect the shape of a molecule in various ways. During this lab, the goal was to answer the guiding question of, “How does the number of lone pairs affect the shape of the molecule?” Answering this question served to cement in those participating in the lab an understanding of the affect a central atom’s number of lone pairs will have on the shape of the molecule, and be able to identify a pattern of molecular shapes and their central atom’s lone pairs. We conducted this lab by first experimenting with 3-D molecular structures on a website, becoming familiar with the geometry of molecules and what exactly lone pairs were. Following

We found this to be true due to the fact that lone pairs move to where there is the most space available. Water, for example has two lone pairs. As seen in the first diagram, the two lone pairs are depicted on the central atom oxygen, although not in their ultimate position. In the second diagram, we see where the lone pairs will ultimately end up, occupying the most possible space due to their repulsion of each other atop the central atom. This can also be seen with a molecule containing three atoms and one lone pair, such as Sulfur dioxide. In conclusion, this lab used modules and information to guide the participant to a conjecture about lone pairs and their effect on molecular geometry. Virtual and physical molecules helped develop a secure visualization of molecule’s shapes, as well as the role of lone pairs in that process. This in turn helped us collect data, hypothesize, and eventually come up with a claim. More importantly, the lab helped build an understanding of lone