CCl4 Molecular Geometry - Science Education and Tutorials

Drawing and predicting the CCl4 Molecular Geometry is very easy. Here in this post, we described step by step method to construct CCl4 Molecular Geometry.

Table of Contents

Key Points To Consider When drawing The CCl4 Molecular Geometry

A three-step approach for drawing the CCl4 molecular can be used. The first step is to sketch the molecular geometry of the CCl4 molecule, to calculate the lone pairs of the electron in the central carbon atom; the second step is to calculate the CCl4 hybridization, and the third step is to give perfect notation for the CCl4 molecular geometry.

The CCl4 molecular geometry is a diagram that illustrates the number of valence electrons and bond electron pairs in the CCl4 molecule. The geometry of the CCl4 molecule can then be predicted using the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory (VSEPR Theory) and molecular hybridization theory, which states that molecules will choose a CCl4 geometrical shape in which the electrons have from one another.

Finally, you must add their bond polarities to compute the strength of the C-Cl bond (dipole moment properties of the CCl4 molecular geometry). The carbon-Chlorine bonds in the Carbon tetrachloride molecule(CCl4), for example, are polarised toward the more electronegative carbon atom, and because both bonds have the same size, their sum is zero due to the CCl4 molecule’s bond dipole moment, and the CCl4 molecule is classified as a nonpolar molecule.

The molecule of Carbon tetrachloride (with tetrahedral CCl4 molecular geometry) is tilted at 109 degrees and has a difference in electronegativity values between Chlorine and carbon atoms, with Chlorine’s pull being roughly equal to carbon’s. As a result, it has no dipole moment indefinitely. The CCl4 molecule has no dipole moment due to an equal charge distribution of negative and positive charges.

Overview:CCl4 electron and molecular geometry

According to the VSEPR theory, CCl4 possesses a tetrahedral molecular geometry and a CCl4-like electron geometry. Because the centre atom, carbon, has four C-Cl bonds with the four Chlorine atoms surrounding it. The Cl-C-Cl bond generates a 109-degree angle in a tetrahedral geometry. The CCl4 molecule has a tetrahedral shape because it contains four Chlorine atoms.

There are four C-Cl bonds at the top of the tetrahedral geometry. After linking the four Chlorines in the tetrahedral form, it maintains the tetrahedral-like structure. In the CCl4 tetrahedral geometry, the C-Cl bonds are enclosed.

The centre carbon atom of CCl4 has no lone pairs of electrons, resulting in tetrahedral electron geometry. However, the molecular geometry of CCl4 is tetrahedral in nature. It’s the CCl4 molecule’s asymmetrical geometry. As a result, the CCl4 molecule is nonpolar.

How to find and predicts CCl4 molecular geometry

Calculating lone pairs of electrons in CCl4 molecular geometry:

1.Determine the amount of lone pairs on the core carbon atom of the CCl4 Lewis structure.
Because the lone pairs on carbon are mostly responsible for the CCl4 molecule geometry distortion, we need to calculate out how many there are on the central carbon atom of the Lewis structure.

Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the CCl4 molecule’s central carbon atom.
L.P(C) = V.E(C) – N.A(C-Cl)/2

Lone pair on the central carbon atom = L.P(C)
The core central carbon atom’s valence electron = V.E(C)
Number of C-Cl bonds = N.A (C-Cl)
calculation for carbon atom lone pair in CCl4 molecule

In the instance of CCl4, the central atom, carbon, has four electrons in its outermost valence shell and four C-Cl bond connections.

As a result of this, L.P(C) = (4 –4)/2=0

In the CCl4 electron geometry structure, the lone pair on the central carbon atom is zero. It means there are no lone pairs in the core carbon atom.

Calculate the number of molecular hybridizations of CCl4 molecule

How do you find the CCl4 molecule’s hybridization? We must now determine the molecular hybridization number of CCl4.

The formula of CCl4 molecular hybridization is as follows:
No. Hyb of CCl4 = N.A(C-Cl bonds) + L.P(C)
No. Hy of CCl4= the number of hybridizations of CCl4
Number of C-Cl bonds = N.A (C-Cl bonds)
Lone pair on the central carbon atom = L.P(C)
Calculation for hybridization number for CCl4 molecule

In the CCl4 molecule, carbon is a core atom with four Chlorine atoms connected to it and no lone pairs. The number of CCl4 hybridizations (No. Hyb of CCl4) can then be estimated using the formula below.

No. Hyb of CCl4= 4+0 =4

The CCl4 molecule has four hybridization sites. The sp3 hybridization is formed when one S orbital and three p orbitals join.

How to give Notation for CCl4 molecule:

Determine the form of CCl4 molecular geometry using VSEPR theory. The AXN technique is commonly used when the VSEPR theory is used to calculate the shape of the CCl4 molecule.

The AXN notation is as follows:
The center carbon atom in the CCl4 molecule is denoted by the letter A.
The bound pairs (C-Cl ) of electrons to the core atom are represented by X.
The lone pairs of electrons on the center carbon atom are denoted by the letter N.
Notation for CCl4 molecular geometry

We know that carbon is the core atom, with four electron pairs bound (four C-Cl) and zero lone pairs. due to the Lewis structure of CCl4 The general molecular geometry formula for CCl4 is AX4.

According to the VSEPR theory, if the molecule has an AX4 generic formula, the molecular geometry and electron geometry will both be tetrahedral.

Name of Molecule	Carbon tetrachloride
Chemical molecular formula	CCl4
Molecular geometry of CCl4	Tetrahedral
Electron geometry of CCl4	Tetrahedral
Hybridization of CCl4	Sp³
Bond angle (Cl-C-Cl)	109º degree
Total Valence electron for CCl4	32
The formal charge of CCl4 on carbon	0

Summary:

In this post, we discussed the method to construct CCl4 molecular geometry, the method to find the lone pairs of electrons in the central carbon atom, CCl4 hybridization, and CCl4 molecular notation. Need to remember that, if you follow the above-said method, you can construct CCl4 molecular structure very easily.