Question

determine the molecular geometry of h₃coch₃ (skeletal structure h₃coch₃). indicate the geometry about oxygen atom. trigonal planar tetrahedral trigonal pyramidal linear bent submit previous answers request answer x incorrect; try again; 2 attempts remaining incorrect try again ai study tools looking for some guidance? lets work through a few related practice questions before you go back to the real thing. this wont impact your score, so stop at anytime and ask for clarification whenever you need it. ready to give it a try? start

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the electron - group geometry around oxygen

Oxygen in \(H_3COCH_3\) (dimethyl ether) has 2 bonding pairs (with carbon atoms) and 2 lone pairs. The total number of electron groups is \(2 + 2=4\). According to VSEPR theory, when the number of electron groups \(n = 4\), the electron - group geometry is tetrahedral.

Step2: Consider the molecular geometry

The molecular geometry is determined by the positions of the atoms (ignoring the lone pairs). But for the geometry about the oxygen atom (which is related to the electron - group arrangement around it for the purpose of answering this question as it is about the local geometry at the oxygen atom considering its bonding and non - bonding electron pairs), since the electron - group geometry around oxygen (with 4 electron groups) is tetrahedral.

Answer:

tetrahedral