Question

The bond lengths and bond angles in the molecules of methane, ammonia, and water are given below:

This variation in bond angle is a result of
(i) the increasing repulsion between H atoms as the bond length decreases
(ii) the number of nonbonding electron pairs in the molecule
(iii) a nonbonding electron pair having a greater repulsive force than a bonding electron pair
A. 1, 2 and 3 are correct
B. 1 and 2 only are correct
C. 2 and 3 only are correct
D. 1 only is correct

Answer 1

Correct Answer - C
When the bond angle is smaller, bond length is also smaller. Hence (i) is wrong. C has no lone pair, N has one lone pair and O has two lone pairs. Greater the number of lone pairs, greater is the repulsion of bond pairs and hence smaller is the bond angle. Hence (2) and (3) are correct