3D Molecular Geometry Viewer
Explore molecular shapes in 3D and understand VSEPR theory visually.
Electron pairs around a central atom repel one another and arrange themselves as far apart as possible. Explore how bonding pairs and lone pairs determine molecular geometry.
Geometry Explorer
Tetrahedral
AX₄ · CH₄
Tetrahedral geometry, VSEPR notation AX₄: 4 bonded atoms positioned around a central atom, with an ideal bond angle of 109.5°.
- Electron Domains
- 4
- Bonding Groups
- 4
- Lone Pairs
- 0
- Ideal Bond Angle
- 109.5°
- Electron Geometry
- Tetrahedral
- Molecular Geometry
- Tetrahedral
Why does this shape form?
Four bonding electron domains around the central carbon atom repel one another and arrange themselves as far apart as possible in three dimensions, producing a tetrahedral shape with bond angles of 109.5°.
Why not a flat square?
A flat square arrangement of four groups (90° apart) would actually pack them closer together than a 3D tetrahedron (109.5° apart). Since electron domains minimize repulsion by maximizing separation, the true 3D tetrahedral shape wins.
Build Your Geometry
Choose how many atoms bond to the central atom, and how many lone pairs it holds — discover the shape yourself.
You created AX₄
- Electron Geometry
- Tetrahedral
- Molecular Geometry
- Tetrahedral
- Ideal Angle
- 109.5°
- Example
- CH₄
Electron Geometry vs. Molecular Geometry
CH₄ has no lone pairs, so its electron geometry and molecular geometry are the same: Tetrahedral.
Compare Shapes
Going from Tetrahedral (0 lone pairs) to Trigonal Pyramidal (1 lone pair) shows how each additional lone pair reshapes the molecule and compresses its bond angles.
Real Molecule Examples
Select a molecule to load its geometry into the 3D viewer above.
VSEPR Reference Table
Click any row to load that geometry into the 3D viewer above.
| VSEPR | Domains | Bonding | Lone Pairs | Electron Geometry | Molecular Geometry | Angle(s) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AX₂ | 2 | 2 | 0 | Linear | Linear | 180° | CO₂ |
| AX₃ | 3 | 3 | 0 | Trigonal Planar | Trigonal Planar | 120° | BF₃ |
| AX₂E | 3 | 2 | 1 | Trigonal Planar | Bent | 120° | SO₂ |
| AX₂E₂ | 4 | 2 | 2 | Tetrahedral | Bent | 109.5° | H₂O |
| AX₄ | 4 | 4 | 0 | Tetrahedral | Tetrahedral | 109.5° | CH₄ |
| AX₃E | 4 | 3 | 1 | Tetrahedral | Trigonal Pyramidal | 109.5° | NH₃ |
| AX₅ | 5 | 5 | 0 | Trigonal Bipyramidal | Trigonal Bipyramidal | 90°, 120°, 180° | PCl₅ |
| AX₄E | 5 | 4 | 1 | Trigonal Bipyramidal | Seesaw | ~173°, ~101° | SF₄ |
| AX₃E₂ | 5 | 3 | 2 | Trigonal Bipyramidal | T-Shaped | ~175°, ~87.5° | ClF₃ |
| AX₆ | 6 | 6 | 0 | Octahedral | Octahedral | 90°, 180° | SF₆ |
| AX₅E | 6 | 5 | 1 | Octahedral | Square Pyramidal | ~84.8° | BrF₅ |
| AX₄E₂ | 6 | 4 | 2 | Octahedral | Square Planar | 90° | XeF₄ |
| AX₂E₃ | 5 | 2 | 3 | Trigonal Bipyramidal | Linear | 180° | XeF₂ |
Check Your Understanding
No pressure — pick an answer and see why it’s right (or not).
How VSEPR Works
What is VSEPR theory?
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory predicts a molecule's 3D shape from a simple idea: electron pairs around a central atom repel each other and arrange themselves as far apart as possible to minimize that repulsion.
What is an electron domain?
An electron domain is any region of electron density around the central atom — a single bond, a double bond, a triple bond, or a lone pair all count as exactly one domain each, regardless of how many electrons they contain.
How does AXE notation work?
A stands for the central atom, X for each atom bonded to it, and E for each lone pair on it — with subscripts for how many of each. AX₄ is four bonded atoms and no lone pairs (tetrahedral); AX₃E is three bonded atoms and one lone pair (trigonal pyramidal).
Why do lone pairs compress bond angles?
Lone pairs are held closer to the central atom and spread out more than bonding pairs, so they repel neighboring domains more strongly. This pushes bonding pairs slightly closer together than the idealized angle — which is why NH₃'s H–N–H angle (~107°) is a little less than the ideal 109.5°.
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