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Ch.8 - Covalent Compounds: Bonding Theories and Molecular Structure
Chapter 8, Problem 137

Values of Ea = 6.3 kJ>mol and A = 6.0 * 108>1M # s2 have been measured for the bimolecular reaction: NO1g2 + F21g2S NOF1g2 + F1g2 (b) The product of the reaction is nitrosyl fluoride. Its formula is usually written as NOF, but its structure is actually ONF. Is the ONF molecule linear or bent?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Activation Energy (Ea)

Activation energy (Ea) is the minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. It represents the energy barrier that reactants must overcome to transform into products. In this context, a low Ea value, such as 6.3 kJ/mol, suggests that the reaction can proceed relatively easily, influencing the reaction rate and the conditions under which the reaction occurs.
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Molecular Geometry

Molecular geometry refers to the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms within a molecule. The shape of a molecule, such as whether it is linear or bent, is determined by the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs of electrons around the central atom. For the ONF molecule, understanding its geometry is crucial for predicting its physical and chemical properties, including polarity and reactivity.
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VSEPR Theory

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory is a model used to predict the geometry of molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs. According to VSEPR, electron pairs will arrange themselves to minimize repulsion, leading to specific molecular shapes. In the case of ONF, the presence of lone pairs on the nitrogen atom influences the molecular shape, determining whether it is linear or bent.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Cyclooctatetraene dianion, C8H82-, is an organic ion with the structure shown. Considering only the p bonds and not the s bonds, cyclooctatetraene dianion can be described by the following energy diagrams of its p molecular orbitals:

(c) Complete the MO energy diagram by assigning the appropriate numbers of p electrons to the various molecular orbitals, indicating the electrons using up/down arrows 1c T2.

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Textbook Question
The water molecule has similar bond vibrations to carbon dioxide. Decide whether the symmetric, asymmetric, and bending vibrations in water will result in the absorption of IR radiation.
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Textbook Question
Bond vibrations for the symmetric and asymmetric stretch in methane are illustrated below. Decide whether each vibration will result in the absorption of IR radiation. Arrows indicate the movement of atoms during the vibration.

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Textbook Question
(b) When xenon absorbs 801 kJ/mol of energy, it is excited into a higher-energy state in which the outermost elec-tron has been promoted to the next available subshell. Write the electron configuration for this excited xenon.
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Textbook Question
The equilibrium constant Kc for the gas-phase thermal decom-position of cyclopropane to propene is 1.0 * 105 at 500 K:

(e) Why is cyclopropane so reactive? (Hint: Consider the hybrid orbitals used by the C atoms.)
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Textbook Question
Reaction of gaseous fluorine with compound X yields a sin- gle product Y, whose mass percent composition is 61.7% F and 38.3% Cl. (b) Draw an electron-dot structure for Y, and predict the geometry around the central atom.
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