General Chemistry I (CHEM 101) Lewis Structures, VSEPR, and Hybridization Exam Review
University of Florida
General Chemistry I (CHEM 101) | Exam Review

Overview
A finals-focused exam review on drawing Lewis structures, predicting shapes with VSEPR, and connecting electron geometry to hybridization and polarity.

Key topics
•Lewis structure steps and formal charge
•VSEPR electron vs molecular geometry
•bond angles and lone-pair effects
•hybridization sp sp2 sp3
•polarity and dipole moments

Suggested study tasks
•draw Lewis structures for 10 common molecules and ions
•predict geometry and bond angles from electron domains
•assign hybridization for central atoms
•decide polar vs nonpolar molecules from shape
•make a 1-page VSEPR quick table from memory

Common pitfalls
•forgetting to count valence electrons for ions
•ignoring formal charge minimization
•mixing electron geometry with molecular shape
•assuming all trigonal planar molecules are polar
•mislabeling sp2 vs sp3 when lone pairs exist