Does a molecular formula shows the arrangement of the atoms in a molecule?

1 Answer
Sarthak
Jul 27, 2017

No,It doesn't

Explanation:

A molecular formula is the representation of the actual number of atoms and not the shape and geometry of a molecule.For example, the molecular formula of methane( #CH_4#) cannot convey the fact that a methane molecule has a tertrahedral geometry.

The shape and geometry of a molecule can be determined using the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion(VSEPR) theory which states that the number of lone pairs solely determines the shape and geometry of a molecule.

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