(A)tetrahedral
This distorted tetrahedral arrangement is call bent.
http://www.ausetute.com.au/shapemol.html
This distorted tetrahedral arrangement is call bent.
http://www.ausetute.com.au/shapemol.html
In the case of water (H2O), the central atom is oxygen (O), and it has two bonded hydrogen (H) atoms.
First, let's count the total number of electron pairs around the oxygen atom. Oxygen has 6 valence electrons, and each hydrogen atom contributes 1 valence electron. So, the total electron pairs are 6 + 1 + 1 = 8.
Now, we need to determine the geometry based on the number of bonded and lone pairs of electrons. In the case of water, oxygen has 2 bonded pairs (with two hydrogen atoms) and 2 lone pairs of electrons.
According to VSEPR theory, the lone pairs of electrons repel more strongly than the bonded pairs. As a result, the two lone pairs will try to move as far away from each other as possible. This leads to a bent or angular shape.
So, the correct answer is (C) angular.