NO2+ Molecular Geometry - Science Education and Tutorials

Q: What is the molecular notation for NO2+ molecule?

NO2+ molecular notation is AX2.

Nitronium ion (NO2+) has the composition of one nitrogen and two oxygen atoms. What is the molecular geometry of nitronium?. Drawing and predicting the NO2+ molecular geometry is very easy by following the given method. Here in this post, we described step by step to construct NO2+ molecular geometry. Nitrogen and oxygen come from the 15th and 16th family groups in the periodic table. Nitrogen and oxygen have five and six valence electrons respectively.

Table of Contents

Key Points To Consider When drawing The NO2+ Molecular Geometry

A three-step approach for drawing the NO2+ molecular can be used. The first step is to sketch the molecular geometry of the NO2+ molecule, to calculate the lone pairs of the electron in the central nitrogen atom; the second step is to calculate the NO2+ hybridization, and the third step is to give perfect notation for the NO2+ molecular geometry.

The NO2+ molecular geometry is a diagram that illustrates the number of valence electrons and bond electron pairs in the NO2+ molecule in a specific geometric manner. The geometry of the NO2+ molecule ion can then be predicted using the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory (VSEPR Theory) and molecular hybridization theory, which states that molecules will choose the NO2+ geometrical shape in which the electrons have from one another in the specific molecular structure.

Finally, you must add their bond polarities characteristics to compute the strength of the two N-O double bonds (dipole moment properties of the NO2+ molecular geometry). Two nitrogen-oxygen double bonds in the nitronium ion(NO2+), for example, are polarised toward the more electronegative value oxygen atoms, and because all two (N-O) double bonds have the same size and polarity, their sum is zero due to the NO2+ molecule’s bond dipole moment due to pulling the electron cloud to the two side of linear geometry, and the NO2+ molecule is classified as a polar molecule.

The molecule of nitronium ion(with linear shape NO2+ molecular geometry) is tilted at 180 degrees bond angle of O-N-O. It has a difference in electronegativity values between nitrogen and oxygen atoms, with oxygen’s pull the electron cloud being greater than nitrogen’s. But bond polarity of N-O is canceled to each other in the linear geometry. As a result, it has a zero permanent dipole moment in its molecular structure. The NO2+ molecule has a zero dipole moment due to an equal charge distribution of negative and positive charges in the linear geometry.

Overview: NO2+ electron and molecular geometry

According to the VSEPR theory, the NO2+ molecule ion possesses linear molecular geometry. Because the center atom, nitrogen, has two N-O double bonds with the two oxygen atoms surrounding it. The O-N-O bond angle is 180 degrees in the linear NO2+ molecular geometry. The NO2+ molecule has a linear geometry shape because it contains two oxygen atoms in the linear and each of them have two lone pairs of electrons.

There are two N-O double bonds at the NO2+ molecular geometry. After linking the two oxygen atoms and no lone pairs of electrons on the nitrogen atom in the linear form, it maintains the linear-shaped structure. In the NO2+ molecular geometry, the N-O double bonds have stayed in the two terminals and no lone pairs of electrons on the nitrogen atom of the linear molecule.

The center nitrogen atom of NO2+ has no lone pairs of electrons, resulting in linear NO2+ electron geometry. However, the molecular geometry of NO2+ looks linear or cylinderical-shaped and has no lone pairs of electrons on the nitrogen of the NO2+ geometry. It’s the NO2+ molecule’s symmetrical geometry. As a result, the NO2+ molecule is nonpolar.

How to find NO2+ hybridization and molecular geometry

Calculating lone pairs of electrons on nitrogen in the NO2+ geometry:

1.Determine the number of lone pairs of electrons in the core nitrogen atom of the NO2+ Lewis structure. Because the lone pairs of electrons on the nitrogen atom are mostly responsible for the NO2+ molecule geometry planar, we need to calculate out how many there are on the central nitrogen atom of the NO2+ Lewis structure.

Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the nitrogen atom of the NO2+ molecule.
L.P(N) = V.E(N) – N.A(N-O)/2

Lone pair on the central nitrogen atom in NO2+ = L.P(N)
The core central nitrogen atom’s valence electron in NO2+= V.E(N)
Number of N-O bonds = N.A (N-O)
calculation for nitrogen atom lone pair in NO2+ molecule.

For instance of NO2+, the central atom, nitrogen, has five electrons in its outermost valence shell, two N-O double bond connections. This gives a total of 4 connections and positive charge on the nitrogen atom. That means, it can attracts another one counter negative ion such as Cl-, Br-, and F- etc. Total connection on the central nitrogen atom is five.

As a result of this, L.P(N) = (5 –5)/2=0

The lone pair of electrons in the nitrogen atom of the NO2+ molecule is zero.

Calculating lone pair of electrons on oxygen in the NO2+ geometry:

Finding lone pair of electrons for the terminal atom is not similar to the central nitrogen atom. We use the following formula as given below

Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the oxygen atom of the NO2+ molecule.
L.P(O) = V.E(O) – N.A(N-O)

Lone pair on the terminal oxygen atom in NO2+ = L.P(O)
Terminal oxygen atom’s valence electron in NO2+ = V.E(O)
Number of N-O bonds = N.A ( N-O)
calculation for oxygen atom lone pair in NO2+ molecule.

For instance of NO2+, their terminal atoms, oxygen, have six electrons in its outermost valence shell, one N-O double bond connection. This gives a total of two N-O double bond connections. But we are considering only one connection for the calculation.

As a result of this, L.P(O) = (6 –2)=4

The lone pair of electrons in the oxygen atom of the NO2+ molecule is four. Two oxygen atoms are connected with the central nitrogen atom.

In the NO2+ electron geometry structure, the lone pairs on the central nitrogen atom are two, lone pairs of electrons in the oxygen atom have four. Two oxygen atoms have 8 lone pairs of electrons.

It means there are no lone pairs of electrons in the core nitrogen atom. Positive charge and double bond connection on the central nitrogen atom is responsible for the linear nature of NO2+ molecular geometry. But in the structure oxygen atoms are polarised sidewise in their linear geometry.

The positive charge are resonated at nitrogen atom of the NO2+ geometry. Because the nitrogen atom is a lower electronegative value as compared with other atoms in the NO2+ molecule. Two oxygen atoms are polarized towards the sidewise in the NO2+ structure.

But in reality, the NO2+ have no lone pair of electrons in the central nitrogen atom. This makes the NO2+ more symmetrical in the structure of the molecule. Because there is no electric repulsion between bond pairs and lone pairs. But some sort of interaction is there between oxygen lone pairs and bond pairs. But it is negligible in the ground state.

But in the terminal, oxygen atoms have two lone pairs of electrons and these lone pair electrons just oppose each other with nitrogen- oxygen bond pairs.

Calculate the number of molecular hybridizations of the NO2+ molecule

What is NO2+ hybridization? This is a very fundamental question in the field of molecular chemistry. All the molecules are made of atoms. In chemistry, atoms are the fundamental particles. There are four different types of orbitals in chemistry. They are named s, p, d, and f orbitals.

The entire periodic table arrangement is based on these orbital theories. Atoms in the periodic table are classified as follows:

s- block elements
p- block elements
d-block elements
f-block elements
Atoms are classified in the periodic table

NO2+ molecule is made of one nitrogen, two oxygen atoms. The oxygen and nitrogen atoms have s and p orbitals. nitrogen comes as the first element from the nitrogen family in the periodic table. The oxygen atom also belongs to the oxygen family group. But it falls as the first element in the periodic table’s group.

When these atoms combine to form the NO2+ molecule, its atomic orbitals are mixed and form unique molecular orbitals due to hybridization.

How do you find the NO2+ molecule’s hybridization? We must now determine the molecular hybridization number of NO2+.

The formula of NO2+ molecular hybridization is as follows:
No. Hyb of NO2+= N.A(N-O bonds) + L.P(N)
No. Hy of NO2+ = the number of hybridizations of NO2+
Number of N-Obonds = N.A (N-O bonds)
Lone pair on the central nitrogen atom = L.P(N)
Calculation for hybridization number for NO2+ molecule

In the NO2+ molecule, nitrogen is a core central atom with two oxygen atoms connected to it. It has no lone pair of electrons on nitrogen. The number of NO2+ hybridizations (No. Hyb of NO2+) can then be estimated using the formula below.

No. Hyb of NO2+= 2+0=2

The NO2+ molecule ion hybridization is two. The nitrogen and oxygen atoms have s and p orbitals. The sp hybridization of the NO2+ molecule is formed when one s orbital and one p orbital join together to form the NO2+ molecular orbital.

Molecular Geometry Notation for NO2+ Molecule :

Determine the form of NO2+ molecular geometry using VSEPR theory. The AXN technique is commonly used when the VSEPR theory is used to calculate the shape of the NO2+ molecule.

The AXN notation of NO2+ molecule is as follows:
The central nitrogen atom in the NO2+ molecule is denoted by the letter A.
The bound pairs (two N-O bonds) of electrons to the core nitrogen atom are represented by X.
The lone pairs of electrons on the central nitrogen atom are denoted by the letter N.
Notation for NO2+ molecular geometry

We know that NO2+ is the core atom, with two electron pairs bound (two N-O) and zero lone pairs of electrons. The general molecular geometry formula for NO2+ is AX2.

According to the VSEPR theory, if the NO2+ molecule ion has an AX2 generic formula, the molecular geometry and electron geometry will both be linear forms.

Name of Molecule	Nitronium ion
Chemical molecular formula	NO2+
Molecular geometry of NO2+	Linear geometry
Electron geometry of NO2+	Linear geometry
Hybridization of NO2+	sp
Bond angle (Cl-S-CL)	180º degree
Total Valence electron for NO2+	16
The formal charge of NO2+ on nitrogen	+1

Summary:

In this post, we discussed the method to construct NO2+ molecular geometry, the method to find the lone pairs of electrons in the central nitrogen atom, NO2+ hybridization, and NO2+ molecular notation. Need to remember that, if you follow the above-said method, you can construct the NO2+ molecular structure very easily.