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VSEPR & Molecular Geometry Worksheet

General chemistryGrades 11–12 · A-level / IB · AP Chemistry · Intro college chemistry5 items · answer key included

This VSEPR worksheet turns the molecular geometry chart into practice. For 16 molecules — from linear CO2 and trigonal planar BF3 to expanded-octet species such as SF4 (seesaw), ClF3 (T-shaped), BrF5 (square pyramidal) and XeF4 (square planar) — students count electron domains, name the electron geometry and molecular shape, predict bond angles and decide whether the molecule is polar. Follow-up questions explain why the bond angle in H2O (104.5°) is smaller than in NH3 (107°) and CH4 (109.5°). A complete answer key is included, so this molecular geometry worksheet with answers works for homework, revision or a printable PDF quiz.

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VSEPR & Molecular Geometry Worksheet

Name Class Date

Part A — Predict the shape

Complete the table for each species. Count the electron domains around the central atom (a multiple bond counts as one domain).

1.
SpeciesElectron domains (central atom)Electron geometryMolecular shapeApprox. bond angle(s)Polar?
CO₂2 (2 bonding, 0 lone)LinearLinear180°No
HCN2 (2 bonding, 0 lone)LinearLinear180°Yes
BF₃3 (3 bonding, 0 lone)Trigonal planarTrigonal planar120°No
SO₃3 (3 bonding, 0 lone)Trigonal planarTrigonal planar120°No
SO₂3 (2 bonding, 1 lone)Trigonal planarBent (V-shaped)≈119° (<120°)Yes
CH₄4 (4 bonding, 0 lone)TetrahedralTetrahedral109.5°No
CH₂Cl₂4 (4 bonding, 0 lone)TetrahedralTetrahedral≈109.5°Yes
NH₃4 (3 bonding, 1 lone)TetrahedralTrigonal pyramidal107°Yes
H₂O4 (2 bonding, 2 lone)TetrahedralBent (V-shaped)104.5°Yes
PCl₅5 (5 bonding, 0 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalTrigonal bipyramidal90°, 120° (and 180°)No
SF₄5 (4 bonding, 1 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalSeesaw<90° and <120° (≈102°, ≈173°)Yes
ClF₃5 (3 bonding, 2 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalT-shaped<90° (≈87.5°)Yes
XeF₂5 (2 bonding, 3 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalLinear180°No
SF₆6 (6 bonding, 0 lone)OctahedralOctahedral90° (and 180°)No
BrF₅6 (5 bonding, 1 lone)OctahedralSquare pyramidal<90° (≈85°)Yes
XeF₄6 (4 bonding, 2 lone)OctahedralSquare planar90°No

Part B — Bond angles and polarity

Answer each question in the space provided.

2.
CH4, NH3 and H2O all have four electron domains around the central atom, but their bond angles are 109.5°, 107° and 104.5°. Explain this trend.
All three have a tetrahedral electron geometry. Lone pairs are held closer to the nucleus and repel more strongly than bonding pairs (lone pair–lone pair > lone pair–bond pair > bond pair–bond pair). CH4 has no lone pairs (109.5°), NH3 has one, which squeezes the H–N–H angle to 107°, and H2O has two, which squeeze the H–O–H angle further to 104.5°.
3.
CO2 and SO2 both contain two polar bonds to oxygen. Explain why CO2 is non-polar but SO2 is polar.
CO2 has no lone pairs on C, so it is linear (180°) and the two C=O bond dipoles cancel. S in SO2 has one lone pair, so the molecule is bent (≈119°); the S–O dipoles do not cancel, giving a net dipole moment.
4.
In SF4 the lone pair occupies an equatorial position, not an axial one. Explain why, and name the resulting shape.
An equatorial lone pair has only two neighbours at 90°, whereas an axial lone pair would have three; placing it equatorially minimises the strongest repulsions. The four S–F bonds then form a seesaw shape (axial F–S–F ≈173°, equatorial F–S–F ≈102°).
5.
Predict the electron geometry, molecular shape and F–Xe–F bond angle of XeF4, and explain why it is non-polar.
Xe has 4 bonding pairs and 2 lone pairs (6 domains): octahedral electron geometry. The two lone pairs sit opposite each other (180° apart), giving a square planar shape with 90° F–Xe–F angles. The four Xe–F dipoles cancel in pairs, so XeF4 is non-polar.

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Answer key: VSEPR & Molecular Geometry Worksheet

Part A — Predict the shape

1.
SpeciesElectron domains (central atom)Electron geometryMolecular shapeApprox. bond angle(s)Polar?
CO₂2 (2 bonding, 0 lone)LinearLinear180°No
HCN2 (2 bonding, 0 lone)LinearLinear180°Yes
BF₃3 (3 bonding, 0 lone)Trigonal planarTrigonal planar120°No
SO₃3 (3 bonding, 0 lone)Trigonal planarTrigonal planar120°No
SO₂3 (2 bonding, 1 lone)Trigonal planarBent (V-shaped)≈119° (<120°)Yes
CH₄4 (4 bonding, 0 lone)TetrahedralTetrahedral109.5°No
CH₂Cl₂4 (4 bonding, 0 lone)TetrahedralTetrahedral≈109.5°Yes
NH₃4 (3 bonding, 1 lone)TetrahedralTrigonal pyramidal107°Yes
H₂O4 (2 bonding, 2 lone)TetrahedralBent (V-shaped)104.5°Yes
PCl₅5 (5 bonding, 0 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalTrigonal bipyramidal90°, 120° (and 180°)No
SF₄5 (4 bonding, 1 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalSeesaw<90° and <120° (≈102°, ≈173°)Yes
ClF₃5 (3 bonding, 2 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalT-shaped<90° (≈87.5°)Yes
XeF₂5 (2 bonding, 3 lone)Trigonal bipyramidalLinear180°No
SF₆6 (6 bonding, 0 lone)OctahedralOctahedral90° (and 180°)No
BrF₅6 (5 bonding, 1 lone)OctahedralSquare pyramidal<90° (≈85°)Yes
XeF₄6 (4 bonding, 2 lone)OctahedralSquare planar90°No

Part B — Bond angles and polarity

2.
All three have a tetrahedral electron geometry. Lone pairs are held closer to the nucleus and repel more strongly than bonding pairs (lone pair–lone pair > lone pair–bond pair > bond pair–bond pair). CH4 has no lone pairs (109.5°), NH3 has one, which squeezes the H–N–H angle to 107°, and H2O has two, which squeeze the H–O–H angle further to 104.5°.
3.
CO2 has no lone pairs on C, so it is linear (180°) and the two C=O bond dipoles cancel. S in SO2 has one lone pair, so the molecule is bent (≈119°); the S–O dipoles do not cancel, giving a net dipole moment.
4.
An equatorial lone pair has only two neighbours at 90°, whereas an axial lone pair would have three; placing it equatorially minimises the strongest repulsions. The four S–F bonds then form a seesaw shape (axial F–S–F ≈173°, equatorial F–S–F ≈102°).
5.
Xe has 4 bonding pairs and 2 lone pairs (6 domains): octahedral electron geometry. The two lone pairs sit opposite each other (180° apart), giving a square planar shape with 90° F–Xe–F angles. The four Xe–F dipoles cancel in pairs, so XeF4 is non-polar.

How to use this worksheet

  1. Students should draw a quick Lewis structure first; count lone pairs on the central atom from that sketch (the Lewis structure worksheet is a good warm-up).
  2. A double or triple bond counts as one electron domain.
  3. Ask students to sketch each 3-D shape with wedges and dashes in the margin — this makes the polarity column much easier.
  4. Use the 3-D viewer in MolDraw to rotate SF₄, ClF₃ and XeF₄ when discussing where lone pairs go.
  5. Set the title, student lines and answer option on the left, then press Download PDF and choose “Save as PDF” (or print directly). Your choices are remembered on this device.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between electron geometry and molecular shape?

Electron geometry describes the arrangement of all electron domains (bonds and lone pairs) around the central atom. Molecular shape describes only the positions of the atoms. NH3 has a tetrahedral electron geometry but a trigonal pyramidal molecular shape because one domain is a lone pair.

Why is the bond angle in water 104.5° and not 109.5°?

Lone pairs repel more strongly than bonding pairs. Water has two lone pairs on oxygen, which push the two O–H bonds closer together, reducing the angle from the ideal tetrahedral 109.5° to 104.5°. NH3, with one lone pair, is in between at 107°.

How do you tell if a molecule is polar using VSEPR?

A molecule is polar if it has polar bonds whose dipoles do not cancel. Symmetrical shapes with identical outer atoms (linear CO2, trigonal planar BF3, tetrahedral CH4, square planar XeF4, octahedral SF6) are non-polar; shapes with lone pairs such as bent, trigonal pyramidal, seesaw and T-shaped are usually polar.

Where do lone pairs go in a trigonal bipyramidal electron geometry?

Lone pairs occupy the equatorial positions, where they have only two 90° neighbours instead of three. That is why SF4 is seesaw, ClF3 is T-shaped and XeF2 is linear.

Does the worksheet include answers?

Yes. The answer key gives the electron domains, electron geometry, molecular shape, bond angles and polarity for every species, plus worked answers to the bond-angle questions.

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