Tetrahedral molecular geometry



 

In a tetrahedral molecular geometry a central tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0).

Inverted tetrahedral geometry

Geometrical constraints in a molecule may cause a severe distortion of a tetrahedral geometry towards an inverted one. In inverted carbon for instance all 4 substituents are now on the same side [1].

organic molecules displaying inverted carbon are strain energy for the molecule resulting in increased reactivity.


Note that inversion also takes place in so-called nitrogen inversion but with different meanings.


Planarization

A tetrahedron can also be distorted by increasing the angle between the two opposite bonds (again by force) resulting in the extreme case in complete flattening. For carbon this phenomenon can be observed in a class of compounds called the fenestranes.

See also

  • The other molecular geometries are collected according to the AXE method.


References

  1. ^ Inverted geometries at carbon Kenneth B. Wiberg Acc. Chem. Res.; 1984; 17(11) pp 379 - 386; doi:10.1021/ar00107a001
 
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