Question

12. Why does a water molecule have a bent shape?

A. The protons in the nucleus of the hydrogen atoms repel the protons in the nucleus of the oxygen
atom.
B. The oxygen atom has lone pairs of
electrons.
C. The hydrogen atoms repel each other.
D. It has two covalent bonds.

Answer 1

A water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms bonded to an oxygen atom, and its overall structure is bent. This is because the oxygen atom, in addition to forming bonds with the hydrogen atoms, also carries two pairs of unshared electrons. All of the electron pairs—shared and unshared—repel each other.

Step-by-step explanation: