Moderate

For MTBE (Methyl tertiary-butyl ether), the approximate bond angles are:

Correct answer: C. The bond angle between C-C-C is 109.5° and between C-O-C is ~109.5°

  • A. The bond angle between CH₃ and C is 120°
  • B. The bond angle between C and O is 180°
  • C. The bond angle between C-C-C is 109.5° and between C-O-C is ~109.5°
  • D. The bond angle between CH₃ and C is 90°

Explanation

The carbon atoms in the tertiary-butyl group are sp³ hybridized, leading to tetrahedral geometry with bond angles of approximately 109.5°. The central oxygen atom of ether is also sp³ hybridized, but its two lone pairs compress the C-O C bond angle to a value slightly less than 109.5°, but still close to the tetrahedral angle.

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