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Chapter 9: Problem 86

Which of these molecules has the shortest nitrogento-nitrogen bond? Explain. $$ \begin{array}{llll} \mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{4} & \mathrm{~N}_{2} \mathrm{O} & \mathrm{N}_{2} & \mathrm{~N}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{4} \end{array} $$

Short Answer

Expert verified
The molecule with the shortest nitrogen-to-nitrogen bond is \(N_2\).

Step by step solution

01

Determine Bond Order

The first step is to determine the bond order for each of these molecules by considering the molecular structures. The bond order is the number of chemical bonds between a pair of atoms. Bond order for \(N_2H_4\) is 1 (since it is a single bond), for \(N_2O\) is 2 (since it's a double bond), for \(N_2\) is 3 (since it's a triple bond), and for \(N_2O_4\) is 1.5 (since it consists of two resonance structures each with double and single bonds).
02

Compare Bond Orders

The second step is to compare the obtained bond orders. As a general rule, a higher bond order means a shorter bond length.
03

Identify Molecule

After comparing the bond orders, it can be concluded that \(N_2\) has the highest bond order (3), thus it has the shortest nitrogen-to-nitrogen bond length.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Explain what an ionic bond is.

In the vapor phase, beryllium chloride consists of discrete molecular units \(\mathrm{BeCl}_{2}\). Is the octet rule satisfied for Be in this compound? If not, can you form an octet around Be by drawing another resonance structure? How plausible is this structure?

Write three resonance structures for hydrazoic acid, \(\mathrm{HN}_{3}\). The atomic arrangement is HNNN. Show formal charges.

Draw three reasonable resonance structures for the \(\mathrm{OCN}^{-}\) ion. Show formal charges.

Of the noble gases, only \(\mathrm{Kr}, \mathrm{Xe},\) and \(\mathrm{Rn}\) are known to form a few compounds with \(\mathrm{O}\) and/or \(\mathrm{F}\). Write Lewis structures for these molecules: (a) \(\mathrm{XeF}_{2},\) (b) \(\mathrm{XeF}_{4}\) (c) \(\mathrm{XeF}_{6},\) (d) \(\mathrm{XeOF}_{4},\) (e) \(\mathrm{XeO}_{2} \mathrm{~F}_{2}\). In each case Xe is the central atom.
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