C2H6 Molecular Geometry and Bond Angles

Ethane is a compound with the chemical formula C2H6 . It has no colour or odour and it stays in gaseous form at standard room temperature. It is one of the simplest hydrocarbons with a single bond between carbon atoms. Moreover, methane has various uses in multiple industries.

It has several other names such as dimethyl and methyl. However, methane is the most common name widely used for this compound. Furthermore, to properly know the chemical and physical properties of methane, it is required to know about the Lewis structure of methane, including its bond, shape, formation, etc.

C2H6 Molecular Geometry

C2H6  is sp3 hybridised. Therefore, they make the tetrahedral geometry that contains all the ‘H’ hydrogen out of the plane, so they are non-planar. Moreover, having a look at the Lewis structure of C2H6 , it is visible that there are four atoms attached with the carbon of interest, and lone pairs are absent simultaneously.

Based on the ‘VSEPR’ theory, the electron clouds on the atoms surrounding the C will resist each other. In addition, as an outcome, they will be sent apart, providing the trigonal pyramidal shape of the molecule and a tetrahedral molecular geometry. Furthermore, the C2H6 bond angle will be nearly around 109.5 degrees because of a bent tetrahedral geometry. Hence, the three-dimensional structure of ethane would be:

Ethane’s tetrahedral geometry produces a bond angle (either H-C-H or H-C-H) of 109.5 degrees. Moreover, the length of the C-C and C-H bond is 153.52 pm as well as 109.40 pm, respectively.

C2H6 Polarity

A molecule with an irregular distribution of charges resulting in partial positive charges on one end and partial positive charges on the other terminal is referred to as a polar molecule. If the molecule is polar, it will have a net dipole moment. The molecule’s direction will be from the minimum electronegative atom to the maximum electronegative atom. As far as polarity is concerned, it depends on two factors:

(a) Alteration in the atom’s electronegativities in the molecule

(b) Non-bonding sets of electrons in the molecule

In C2H6 , there is a bit of difference in the electronegativities between the atoms of hydrogen and carbon atoms; this means that the C-H bonds are non-polar. Additionally, there is the absence of lone pairs of electrons. Thus, there is no alteration in the appearance of any type of pushing of the pairs of electrons owing to the repulsive forces.

C2H6 Molecular Orbital Diagram

In C2H6  or CH3CH3, during the process of hybridisation, participation of 1s-orbital and three p-orbitals takes place. A formation of 4 sp3 hybridised orbitals also takes place. At the time, four similar and identical bonds are made in an ideal tetrahedral geometry. 

Furthermore, a mixture of the atomic orbitals helps create the molecular orbital, which must have approximately similar energy and at the same time, these are symmetrical to the molecular axis.

Formation of Molecular Orbitals 

The molecular orbitals grow up from the permitted communication or the interactions among the atomic orbitals, which are permitted only if the symmetries of the atomic orbitals determined from group theory have compatibility with each other. The efficiency of the interactions of atomic orbitals can be easily found from the overlap among two atomic orbitals, which is important if the atomic orbitals are close in strength or energy.

Additionally, the number of molecular orbitals made should be similar to the amount or number of the atomic orbitals in the atoms that are being pooled to create the molecule.

Conclusion 

The C2H6 molecular geometry concludes that if we look at the C2H6  or CH3CH3 molecular geometry, the molecule’s arrangement is made in a tetrahedral geometry. Moreover, the Hydrogen atoms are present in the surroundings of the central atoms of the carbon, comprising a bond angle of 109.5 degrees.

Furthermore, ethane is not so complicated. It comprises two atoms of carbon that have a double bond with each other, including each of these atoms bonded to 2 atoms of hydrogen.