VSEPR with lone pairs and pi bonds

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR)

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See display options below for lone pairs and multiple bonds.
For deeper exploration p and d pi-bonding orbitals can be shown.

SN*	Lone pairs	Molecular Geometry	Example	Bond angle°
2	0	Linear	HCN	180
2	0	Linear	BrCN	180
2	0	Linear	CO₂	180
2	0	Linear	CS₂	180
2	0	Linear	OCS	180
2	0	Linear	HCCH	180
2	0	Linear	BeH₂	180
2	0	Linear	CH₃NCO	180
2	0	Linear resonance	CH₃NCS	180
2	0	Linear	N₃^– ^azide	180
2	0	Linear resonance	NNO ^{nitrous oxide}	180
2	0	Linear resonance	SCN^– ^thiocyanate	180
2	0	Linear	(CN)₂ ^cyanogen	180
2	0	Linear	(CF₃)₃BCAs^–	180
2	1	Linear	N₂
2	1	Linear	CO
2	1	Linear	CN^– ^cyanide
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	CO₃^-2 ^carbonate	120
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	NO₃^– ^nitrate	120
3	0	Trigonal planar	BH₃	120
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	BF₃	120
3	0	Trigonal planar	(C₆H₅)₃B	120
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	BO₃^-3 ^borate	120
3	0	Trigonal planar	H₃BO₃ ^{boric acid}	120
3	0	Trigonal planar	H₂CO ^formaldehyde	116 HCH 122 HCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	H₂CO₃ ^{carbonic acid}	109 OCO 126 OC=O
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	HNO₃ ^{nitric acid}	114 HONO 130 ONO
3	0	Trigonal planar	COCl₂	112 ClCCl 124 ClCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	CO(NH₂)₂ ^urea	113 NCN 124 NCO
3	0	Trigonal planar	CCl₂CCl₂	116 ClCCl 122 ClCC
3	0	Trigonal planar	CH₂CH₂	117 HCH 121 HCC
3	0	Trigonal planar	CH₂CHCl	113 HCCl 123 CCCl
3	0	Trigonal planar	CH₂CHCH₃	125 CCC
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	CH₂CHOH	126 CCO
3	0	Trigonal planar^† resonance	CH₂CHNH₂	125 CCN
3	0	Trigonal planar	(CH₃)₂CO ^acetone	122 CCO 116 CCC
3	0	Trigonal planar	CH₃CHO ^acetaldehyde	124 CCO 117 CCH
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	CH₃COOH ^{acetic acid}	127 OCO 111 CCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	CH₃COO^– ^acetate	126 OCO 116 CCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	CH₃COOCH₃ ^{methyl acetate}	123 OCO 111 CCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance^†	NH₂COOH ^{carbamic acid}	123 OCO 126 NCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance^†	NH₂COO^– ^carbamate	128 OCO 116 NCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance^†	NH₂CHO ^formamide	113 HCN 125 NCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance^†	(CH₃)₂NCHO	117 HCN 124 NCO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	C₆H₆ ^benzene	120
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	C₆F₆	120
3	0	Trigonal planar	(C₆H₅)₂	120
3	0	Trigonal planar	(C₆H₅)₂CO	118 CCO 124 CCC
3	0	Trigonal planar	(C₆H₅)₂CS	121 CCS 117 CCC
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	N₂O₄	134 ONO 121 NNO
3	0	Trigonal planar resonance	SO₃	120
3	½	Angular or bent resonance	NO₂	134
3	1	Angular or bent resonance	SO₂	119
3	1	Angular or bent resonance	O₃ ^ozone	117
3	1	Angular or bent resonance	NO₂^– ^nitrite	115
3	1	Angular or bent	NOCl	113
3	1	Angular or bent	NOF	110
3	1	Angular or bent	CH₂NCH₃	117
3	1	Angular or bent	CH₃NCO	114
3	1	Angular or bent resonance	CH₃NCS	147
3	1	Angular or bent	C₆H₅CH₂NCS	115
3	1	Angular or bent resonance^†	H₂NNO ^nitrosamine	114
3	1	Angular or bent resonance^†	(CH₃)₂NNO	114
3	1½	Linear smaller formal charge	NO ^{nitric oxide}
3	2	Linear	O₂
4	0	Tetrahedral	CH₄	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral	SiCl₄	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral	NH₄⁺	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral	BH₄^–	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral	BF₄^–	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral	B(OH)₄^–	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral	As(C₆H₅)₄⁺	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral	CH₃CH₃	108 HCH 111 HCC
4	0	Tetrahedral	CH₃Br	108 HCBr 111 HCH
4	0	Tetrahedral	CH₃NH₂	108 HCH 110 HCN
4	0	Tetrahedral	CH₃OH	109 HCH 110 HCO
4	0	Tetrahedral	CH₂Cl₂	108 HCCl 112 ClCCl
4	0	Tetrahedral	(C₆H₅)₂CH₂	104 HCH 114 CCC
4	0	Tetrahedral	BH₃NH₃	114 HBH 105 HBN
4	0	Tetrahedral	BH₃NH₃	108 HNH 111 HNB
4	0	Tetrahedral^‡	B₂H₆	98 HBH 123 HBH
4	0	Tetrahedral^‡	Al₂(CH₃)₆	78 AlCAl 126 AlCAl
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	POCl₃	104 ClPCl 115 ClPO
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	POF₃	102 FPF 116 FPO
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	PO₄^-3 ^phosphate	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	NSF₃	94 FSF 123 FSN
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	SO₂Cl₂	111 ClSCl 120 OSO
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	SO₄^-2 ^sulfate	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	H₂SO₄ ^{sulfuric acid}	101 HOSOH 123 OSO
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	ClO₄^– ^perchlorate	109.5
4	0	Tetrahedral smaller formal charge	XeO₄	109.5
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	NH₃ ^ammonia	108
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	PCl₃	100
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	TeBr₃⁺	98
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	CH₃NH₂	106 HNH 111 HNC
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	(CH₃)₂NH	109 HNC 111 CNC
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	(CH₃)₃N	108
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	NH₂OH	107 HNH 103 HNO
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	NH₂NH₂	107 HNH 109 HNN
4	1	Trigonal pyramid	P₄	60
4	1	Trigonal pyramid smaller formal charge	ClO₃^– ^chlorate	107
4	1	Trigonal pyramid smaller formal charge	SO₃^-2 ^sulfite	106
4	1	Trigonal pyramid smaller formal charge	SOCl₂	96 ClSCl 106 ClSO
4	1	Trigonal pyramid smaller formal charge	(CH₃)₂SO	98 CSC 107 OSC
4	1	Trigonal pyramid smaller formal charge	XeO₃	108
4	1	Trigonal pyramid smaller formal charge	HIO₃ ^{iodic acid}	98 O-I=O 101 O=I=O
4	1½	Angular or bent smaller formal charge	ClO₂	118
4	2	Angular or bent smaller formal charge	ClO₂^– ^chlorite	108
4	2	Angular or bent	H₂O	104.5
4	2	Angular or bent	OF₂	103
4	2	Angular or bent	H₂S	92
4	2	Angular or bent	S₈	108
4	2	Angular or bent	HOCl ^hypochlorous	103
4	2	Angular or bent	CH₃OH	109
4	2	Angular or bent	CH₃OCH₃	112
4	2	Angular or bent	CH₃SCH₃	99
4	2	Angular or bent	(C₆H₅)₂O	118
4	2	Angular or bent	NH₂OH	103
4	2	Angular or bent smaller formal charge	PO₃OPO₃ ^{pyrophosphate}	131
4	3	Linear	HCl
4	3	Linear	Cl₂
4	3	Linear	ClO^– ^hypochlorite
4	3	Linear	OH^– ^hydroxide
4	3	Linear	(C₆F₅)Xe⁺
5	0	Trigonal bipyramid	PCl₅	120, 180
5	0	Trigonal bipyramid	AsF₅	120, 180
5	0	Trigonal bipyramid smaller formal charge	SOF₄	98, 124
5	1	Seesaw	SF₄	102, 173
5	1	Seesaw	IF₄⁺	103, 149
5	1	Seesaw smaller formal charge	XeO₂F₂	106, 175
5	1	Seesaw smaller formal charge	IO₂F₂^–	102, 179
5	2	T shaped	BrF₃	86, 172
5	2	T shaped	XeF₃⁺	89, 162
5	2	T shaped smaller formal charge	XeOF₂	92, 174
5	2	T shaped	(C₆F₅)XeF₂⁺	85, 170
5	3	Linear	I₃^–	180
5	3	Linear	XeF₂	180
5	3	Linear	(C₆F₅)₂Xe	178
6	0	Octahedral	SF₆	90, 180
6	0	Octahedral	PF₆^–	90, 180
6	0	Octahedral	AsF₆^–	90, 180
6	0	Octahedral	BrF₆⁺	90, 180
6	0	Octahedral smaller formal charge	XeO₆^-4	90, 180
6	0	Octahedral smaller formal charge	IO(OH)₅	90, 180
6	1^§	Octahedral	BrF₆^–	90, 180
6	1^§	Octahedral	TeCl₆^-2	90, 180
6	1	Square pyramid	BrF₅	85, 170
6	1	Square pyramid smaller formal charge	XeOF₄	92, 176
6	1	Square pyramid	XeF₅⁺	80, 160
6	2	Square planar	XeF₄	90, 180
6	2	Square planar	ICl₄^–	90, 180
7	0	Pentagonal bipyramid	IF₇	72, 90
7	1	Pentagonal pyramid smaller formal charge	IOF₅^-2	72, 92
7	2	Pentagonal planar	XeF₅^–	72
8	1^§	Square antiprism	XeF₈^-2	73

*If A is the central atom, and X is all its attached atoms, and E is its lone electron pairs, then AX_mE_n predicts the molecular shape by minimizing XE repulsion and the steric number (SN) equals m+n.
^†Observed geometry, often planar NR₃ due to π contribution.
^‡Three atomic orbitals form three molecular orbitals (bonding, non-bonding, and antibonding) with two electrons in the bonding orbital.
^§Lone pair is not stereochemically active.
Resonance shows another resonance contribution. If a lone pair is in a p orbital, then lone pair and p orbital display in same location.
Smaller formal charge moves a lone pair to be a double bond.
Protonated -ate ions become -ic acids; -ite ions become -ous acids.

Display options
Spacefill Ball&Stick Ball Stick Lines Off
Element Labels: S M L XL XXL Off
Multiple bonds Lone Pairs pπ dπ π bonds have opposite
phase on either side
of the bond axis:

sp, sp², sp³, ...
Spin
Perspective Antialias (slower)

Molecules mostly modified from PubChem.
This page created by George Lisensky, Beloit College.
Last modified April 15, 2026.

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