Carbon bond angles in organic compounds

The angles between the bonds in organic compounds depend on the hybridization and therefore the types of bonds formed by each of the carbon atoms. If only single bonds are present, the angle between each of these is 109.5°. If a double bond is formed, the angle between the bonds is 120°, and if a triple bond is involved, the angle is 180°. See Figure 1 for examples of the angles described above. The angles of the bonds have important implications for which products are formed in chemical reactions involving organic compounds.

There are three organic compounds. Compound 1 is ethane, C H 3, C H 3. Ethane is made of single bonds, so the bond angle is 109.5 degrees. Compound 2 is ethene, C H 2, C H 2. Ethene has a carbon carbon double bond, so the bond angle is 120 degrees. Compound 3 is 1-butene, C H, C H, C H 2, C H 3. 1-butyne has a carbon carbon triple bond, so the bond angle there is 180 degrees.

Figure 1. Organic compounds showing how the angles of the compound depend on the bonds it forms.