why are there 120° in a water molecule?*

Question

*Between the center of the oxygen atom and the center of the two hydrogens.

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

There are four positions around an oxygen atom that will hold electrons or bonds with other atoms (in this case, hydrogen). Since the atom itself is in a 3D space, the angle between each pair of these spaces is 120 degrees. So when there are two hydrogens bonded to an oxygen, they will sit in two of those spots, making a 120 degree angle. The other two spots are “occupied” by two pairs of oxygen’s native electrons.