In ethers, the four electron pairs on oxygen, two bond pairs and two lone pairs, are arranged approximately tetrahedrally. The bond angle is slightly greater than the tetrahedral angle due to repulsive interactions between the two bulky (–R) groups attached to oxygen.
How are the electron pairs arranged in ethers, and why is the bond angle slightly greater than the tetrahedral angle?
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In ethers, the electron pairs around the oxygen atom are arranged in a tetrahedral geometry, with two bonds and two lone pairs. The bond angle in ethers is slightly greater than the ideal tetrahedral angle of 109.5 degrees due to the presence of lone pairs. The lone pairs exert more significant repulsion than bonded pairs, pushing the bonding pairs closer together. This compression results in a bond angle that is larger than the tetrahedral angle. The deviation from the ideal tetrahedral angle is a consequence of the repulsive forces between the lone pairs and the bonding pairs, as explained by the VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory.