What is the connection of element CS2?

Question

Looking at your patterns, how could you predict the bonding pattern of elements based on their location in the periodic table. You might consider the following: chemical families, valence electrons, electronegativity, ionization energy, and oxidation numbers (charge).

Answer 1

Hi Keely K.,

For carbon, tetrahedral is sp^3, trigonal (as in graphite layers and various wraps of that theme) is sp^2, and linear molecules (like CS2) is sp hybridization.

It might help to think of analogies, whose shapes you already know -- in this case, CO2 .

Things are much more challenging when you hit compounds whose bonding may or may not include hybridization with d suborbitals. In this case, counting the total number of bonds plus lone-pairs on model compounds will clue you in. To make matters slightly worse, sometimes, particularly on metals, the things that are attached aren't just sigma bonded atoms, but more complex ions ("ligands") whose electron distributions enable them to "tweak" the relative energy levels of the central metal atom, and they force different types of bonding than you might expect based on other compounds of the same metal!

But, don't worry about the complex stuff, but do get the simple molecules down.

By the way, "shapes" can be interpreted various ways; here, the intent is the geometric patterns of the various atomic nuclei. But if you could actually "see" a molecule, it would look like a lumpy sponge-rubber toy. Don't be deceived, however; lumpy or not, it still "knows" exactly what it can do with its electrons to carry out chemical reactions!

Cheers, --- Mr. d.