Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2025/2/c/i/solution
Past exam of the chemistry course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2025 2 c i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
One consistent localized orbital hybridization description uses the Lewis structuresFor methyldiazonium, take C as and both N atoms as . For diazomethane, the double-bond resonance contributor suggests C as , central N as , and terminal N as . The central N uses two opposite hybrids for the linear C–N–N sigma bond framework. In the localized double-bond picture, terminal N uses one hybrid for its sigma bond, two for lone pairs, and its remaining p atomic orbital for a pi bond.
These labels specify an approximate bonding construction, not uniquely measurable atomic properties. An alternative representation takes terminal N as , with one lone pair and one p lone pair; the latter can participate in the delocalized C–N–N system. It describes the same resonance more explicitly. Neither construction requires an unpaired electron or a bent central N.
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