What is the shape of a molecule? - George Zaidan and Charles Morton

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A molecule is nearly all empty space, apart from the extremely dense nuclei of its atoms and the clouds of electrons that bond them together. When that molecule forms, it arranges itself to maximize attraction of opposite charges and minimize repulsion of unlike. George Zaidan and Charles Morton shape our image of molecules.

Lesson by George Zaidan and Charles Morton, animation by Bevan Lynch.

What is the shape of a molecule?

Well, a molecule is mostly empty space.

Almost all of its mass is concentrated

in the extremely dense nuclei of its atoms.

And its electrons,

which determine how the atoms

are bonded to each other,

are more like clouds of negative charge

than individual, discrete particles.

So, a molecule doesn't have a shape

in the same way that, for example,

a statue has a shape.

But for every molecule,

there's at least one way

to arrange the nuclei and electrons

so as to maximize the attraction

of opposite charges

and minimize the repulsion

of like charges.

Now, let's assume that the only electrons

that matter to a molecule's shape

are the outermost ones from each participating atom.

And let's also assume

that the electron clouds in between atoms,

in other words, a molecule's bonds,

are shaped kind of like sausages.

Remember that nuclei are positively charged

and electrons are negatively charged,

and if all of the molecule's nuclei

were bunched up together

or if all of its electrons were bunched up together,

they would just repel each other and fly apart,

and that doesn't help anyone.