Question

What is the expected bond angle in NH₃?

Answer 1

1. The bond angle in NH₃ (ammonia) is approximately 107.8°.
2. This is less than the ideal tetrahedral angle of 109.5° because the lone pair on nitrogen repels the bond pairs more strongly, pushing the hydrogen atoms closer together.
3. Hence, NH₃ has a distorted tetrahedral (pyramidal) shape with a bond angle of 107.8° due to lone pair-bond pair repulsion being greater than bond pair-bond pair repulsion.