Home▸Chemistry & Materials▸VSEPR Theory: Why Molecules Have the Shape They Do

⚛️ VSEPR Molecular Geometry Lab

Build molecules atom by atom and watch electron-pair repulsion push bonding and lone pairs into tetrahedral, bent, trigonal bipyramidal and other VSEPR shapes.

Chemistry & Materials3DModerate60 FPS

A live electron-pair repulsion simulator: choose how many bonding and lone pairs surround a central atom and watch them push apart on an invisible sphere until they settle into a real VSEPR molecular shape.

🔬 What It Demonstrates

Every bonding and lone pair is simulated as a mutually repelling charge constrained to a sphere around the central atom. Lone pairs carry extra repulsive weight, so the simulation naturally compresses bond angles the same way real lone-pair repulsion does in molecules like water and ammonia.

🎮 How to Use

Pick a preset molecule or set bonding/lone pair counts directly with the sliders. Toggle lone-pair lobes and the repulsion field lines, then drag to rotate and scroll to zoom around the settling geometry.

💡 Did You Know?

VSEPR theory predicts molecular shape from pure geometry and Coulomb repulsion — no quantum mechanics needed — yet it correctly forecasts the shape of the overwhelming majority of small molecules chemists study.

⚙ Under the hood

Interactive 3D molecule builder where users select central atoms and bonding or lone electron pairs and watch VSEPR repulsion push the geometry into shapes like tetrahedral, bent or trigonal bipyramidal.

vsepr-theorymolecular-geometryelectron-pairsbonding3d-moleculeschemistry

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install