Compounds containing the ammonium ion are often used as fertilizers. What is the geometry of an ammonium ion (#NH_4^+#)?

1 Answer
anor277
Jan 28, 2017

This one is easy............#"ammonium ion"# assumes the shape of a #"tetrahedron"#, with nitrogen as the central atom.

Explanation:

Around nitrogen in #"ammonia ion"# there are four regions of electron density, and #"VESPER"# assures us that these 4 electron pairs assume the shape of a tetrahedron, i.e. with #/_H-N-H=109.5^@#. Why is the geometry of the parent species, #NH_3#, different?

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