The molecular orbital theory of chemical valency. V. The structure of water and similar molecules

Abstract The theory of molecular and equivalent orbitals developed in previous papers of this series is used to discuss the spatial distribution of lone-pair electrons in molecules such as H2O and NH3 and the part they play in determining the equilibrium configuration. Previous treatments of H2O have assumed that the lone pairs are essentially unaltered by molecular formation. It is shown here, on the other hand, that they will be displaced so as to be mainly concentrated on the side of the O-nucleus remote from the hydrogen atoms. An important consequence of this is that the lone-pair electrons will make a contribution to the total dipole moment. Comparison of the experimentally observed moment with an approximate quantitative treatment suggests that, as a result of this, transfer of electrons from the hydrogen atoms to the oxygen does not occur to the extent that has previously been believed. The variation of the spatial distribution of the orbitals of H2O with changes of nuclear configuration is examined and it is shown that, in the equilibrium position, the electronic structure can be described approximately by two sets of two equivalent orbitals pointing in nearly tetrahedral directions. The dependence of total energy on bond angle is discussed and it is shown that electrostatic repulsions between the equivalent orbitals are major factors in determining the equilibrium configuration. Similar considerations apply to NH3.