Gridlocks – can you unlock the grid?
Shapes of molecules – distortion from the pure geometry
Before you answer the puzzles below fill in the table of molecules based on a tetrahedral geometry using:
tetrahedral
molecule
107°
shape
104.5°
bent
bond angle
drawing
H
CH4
tetrahedral
109.5°
C
H
H
H
N
NH3
pyramidal
107°
H2O
bent
104.5°
NF3
pyramidal
102°
H
H
H
O
H
H
N
F
F
F
Problem Solving Puzzle 1
Each row, column and 2 x 2 box contains information about the molecules listed above. Use your problem
solving skills and the answers in the table above to fill in the blank boxes.
molecule
shape
NH3
H2O
pyramidal
tetrahedral
NF3
CH4
pyramidal
bent
tetrahedral
pyramidal
H2O
NF3
bent
pyramidal
CH4
NH3
shape
molecule
Gridlocks – can you unlock the grid?
Puzzle 2
molecule
shape
NH3
NF3
bent
tetrahedral
H2O
CH4
pyramidal
pyramidal
H
102°
107°
O
C
H
H
H
H
H
N
109.5°
104.5°
H
H
N
F
H
bond angle
drawing
molecule
shape
F
F
Puzzle 3
H2O
CH4
pyramidal
pyramidal
NF3
NH3
bent
tetrahedral
109.5°
104.5°
N
F
N
H
H
F
F
H
107°
102°
bond angle
O
C
H
H
H
H
H
drawing
H