VSEPR-Plus: Correct Molecular and Electronic Structures Can Lead to Better Student Conceptual Models

The VSEPR model has well-established limitations in its ability to represent accurate molecular and electronic geometries of simple molecules, which can create a significant need for students to relearn structure and bonding concepts in organic chemistry. We present an alternate method for describing molecular geometries and electronic structures to students that is far more consistent with experimental observations than VSEPR. Our alternate method of teaching structures extends VSEPR to account for conjugation to adjacent π-systems and the experimentally observed nature of lone pairs, which is supported by computational chemistry via WebMO’s HTML-export feature. If implemented, it allows students to reconcile hybridization, valence bond theory, molecular orbital theory, and resonance structures into a single coherent picture of electronic structure and bonding for organic molecules.