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AAT Bioquest

What's the structure of amines?

Posted May 23, 2024


Answer

In amines, the nitrogen atom has five valence electrons, making it trivalent with a lone pair. According to VSEPR theory, nitrogen is sp3 hybridized, resulting in a pyramidal shape due to the presence of the lone pair. Unlike the typical tetrahedral geometry of sp³ hybridized molecules, the presence of the lone pair in amines leads to a slightly smaller C-N-H bond angle, around 107 degrees.

Additional resources

Structure and Physical Properties of Amines

Amine Reactive Dyes and Probes for Conjugation

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