Problem Set
#1Name____________

1. What is an orbital?
It is a volume of space where there is a high probability of finding an electron.

2. What is the difference between an 2s orbital and a 2p orbital?
The shape is most important: One is spherical and the other has two lobes.

3.

a. What is the charge on an electron? _-1____
b. What is the charge on a proton? __+1___
c. What is the symbol for a proton? _H+____

4. How many electrons can an orbital hold?

2

5. Does aresonance structure represent the true structure of a molecule? Explain.
No, it doesn’t. A molecule is represented as a hybrid of all resonance structures.
They differ from each other only in the position of their electrons not nuclei.

6. What is an ionic bond?
It is a bond between oppositely charged ions.

7. What is a covalent bond?
It is a bond formed when two atoms share a pair of electrons.

8. In the molecule below describe the types of orbitals which overlap to form the bond indicated.

C

C

O

H

H

H

H

b

a

a. The atomic orbitals used to form this bond are an __s______ and an ___sp2______.
b. The atomic orbitals used to form this bond are an __sp2______ and an ___sp3_______.

9. Put in the proper formal charges in the following structures (i.e. write the charge near the
appropriate atom). All the molecules listed are neutral molecules (no NET charge).

O
••

N

O
••

H

O

H

NCH2

H

H
Glycine

O

O
••

H2C

N

N

H3C

S2

O

CH3

O
Dimethylsulfone••

Diazomethane

Nitric Acid

••

••

••

10. Draw the resonance structures for the following ions.

O

C

N

O

C

N

11. Which anion is more stable and why?

H3C

C

C

C
H2

CH3

O

H

H3C

C

C

C

CH3

OO
The bottom one is more stable because it has more resonance structures. The carbonyl groups
stabilize the negative charge through resonance. The charge is more spread out or more
delocalized.

H