Molecular Structure for Multicenter Molecules

When a molecule or polyatomic ion has only one central atom, the molecular structure completely describes the shape of the molecule. Larger molecules do not have a single central atom, but are connected by a chain of interior atoms that each possess a “local” geometry. The way these local structures are oriented with respect to each other also influences the molecular shape, but such considerations are largely beyond the scope of this introductory discussion. For our purposes, we will only focus on determining the local structures.

The Lewis structure for the simplest amino acid, glycine, H₂NCH₂CO₂H, is shown here.

Now that you know the electron-pair geometries and molecular shapes for all the atoms in glycine, which of the following drawings are a correctly drawn VSEPR structure?

What is your confidence level on this material after reading this section on VSEPR? Choose either Green (confident), Yellow (somewhat confident), Red (not confident).