JAMB Chemistry 1983 Question 7

Question 7

Chemical Bonding

The three-dimensional shape of methane is

  1. A.hexagonal
  2. B.trigonal
  3. C.linear
  4. D.tetrahedral
  5. E.cubical
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D (tetrahedral)

Explanation

The four C–H bond pairs around carbon repel equally and point to the corners of a tetrahedron (bond angle 109.5°).