Article
Article
Bond angle and distance
Article By:
Garetz, Bruce A. Department of Chemistry, Polytechnic University, New York, New York.
Last reviewed:October 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.090100
The angle between two bonds sharing a common atom is known as the bond angle. The distance between the nuclei of bonded atoms is known as bond distance. The geometry of a molecule can be characterized by bond angles and distances. A chain of four bonded atoms consists of three bonds. Each group of three contiguous atoms lies in a plane. The angle between these two planes is called the dihedral or torsional angle of the two outer bonds. Another way of visualizing this angle is to view the projection of the four atoms along the line of the central bond, also known as a Newman projection. The angle between the projections of the two outer bonds is also the torsional angle (see illustration).
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
