Questions: What is VSEPR going to help us do? Predict the shape of molecules Predict the shape of atoms Count electrons in a molecule Count valence electrons in a molecule

Solution Steps

The question asks what VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory helps us to do. It provides four multiple-choice options.

VSEPR theory is used to predict the geometry of individual molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs around a central atom.

• Predict the shape of molecules: This is correct because VSEPR theory is specifically used to determine the 3D shape of molecules.
• Predict the shape of atoms: This is incorrect because VSEPR theory does not deal with the shape of individual atoms.
• Count electrons in a molecule: This is incorrect because VSEPR theory does not count electrons; it uses the number of electron pairs to predict shapes.
• Count valence electrons in a molecule: This is incorrect because VSEPR theory uses the number of valence electron pairs but does not count them directly.

Final Answer