Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-course-of-the-year-3-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/paper-2a/section-b/21/b/ii/solution

The subbranch spacing gives , hence . Rotation about the C–I symmetry axis has moment
C and I lie on this axis, so only the three hydrogens contribute to . If is the I–C–H angle, their perpendicular distances are . Taking integer hydrogen mass gives
The molecular arrangement selects the obtuse solution, so . The supplementary acute angle describes the opposite axial direction, not the bond angle to iodine. This is a rigid-geometry estimate based on an effective rotational constant and the stipulated bond length, rather than a precision equilibrium-structure measurement.

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