H(1s) – O(2p) Atomic Orbital Overlap in NH3

 

In the molecule NH3O, the electron configuration for H is 1s1, and for nitrogen the electron configuration is 1s22s22p3. The ratio of hydrogen to oxygen is 3 to 1, so each hydrogen contributes one electron to the nitrogen atom, which needs three electrons to complete its outer most shell. The video shows three H atoms approaching the N atom to form three covalent bonds. The covalent bond is formed when the 1s orbital on H overlaps with a 2p orbital on N. However, using atomic orbitals on the nitrogen atom would result in a H-N-H bond angles of 90 degrees. This differs from the 107 degree H-N-H bond angles that is experimentally determined for NH3.