Date: 4th September 2015

Location: Intense discussion over whatsapp

Members present: 5/5 full attendance

This question gave our team a headache. The first challenge was to figure out the structure of the azide ion. We were unsure if it was single bond, double bond, or triple bond. Upon some heated discussion and research on the internet, we decided on it being double bond. We also understood that the confusion was due to the ion having several resonance forms.

The next challenge was to justify the presence of two lone pairs on each terminal N atom despite it being only sp hybridised. Eventually, we came to a conclusion that one lone pair resides in the sp orbital, while the other lone pair resides in the unhybridised p orbital, thereby giving rise to a linear geometry.

The final challenge was to determine which atom has the greatest electron density. We were pretty sure that it was the terminal N atom, however was struggling to find a solid explanation for it. Upon discussion, we have various inputs, such as considering the HOMO of the compound, as well as the electron distortion due to the formal charges.