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It has to do with the arrangement of electrons in the oxygen atom. Oxygen has six electrons in its outer shell, which is unstable. To become stable it will tend to gain or share electrons to have a stable outer shell of eight electrons, similar to that of neon. These electrons will form four lobes each with a pair of electrons. The lobes will form a shape similar to a three-sided pyramid, also called a tetrahedron. If the oxygen is taken alone, two of these lobes will contain a single unpaired electron. In a water molecule each of these unpaired lobes will bond with a hydrogen atom. The hydrogen atom will share its single electron with the oxygen to fill this gap. So the two hydrogen atoms in a water molecule represent two corners of a tetrahedron.

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Q: Why do the hydrogen atoms of water attach asymmetric?
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Related questions

How many hydrogen atoms are present in a water molecule?

there are 2 atoms of hydrogen in water


How many hydrogen atoms in water?

2 hydrogen atoms per molecule of water.


Can you get water from hydrogen?

You can get water from hydrogen if you combine the hydrogen with oxygen atoms.


How many atoms are there of hydrogen in water?

H2OCount two atoms hydrogen in one molecule of water.


Why is water and hydrogen peroxide different even though they are made of the same types of atoms?

hydrogen has two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms and water has one hydrogen and one oxygen atoms


When an oxygen molecule attaches to two hydrogen atoms which one is positive?

Under normal conditions, an oxygen molecule, which contains two oxygen atoms, does not attach to two hydrogen atoms. In a water molecule, which consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, both covalent bonds between oxygen and hydrogen are polar, with the oxygen end of the bond more often negative than either of the hydrogen ends.


How many hydrogen atoms are in water H2O?

There are 4 atoms of hydrogen in 2H2O.


Water that contains hydrogen 2 atoms instead of hydrogen 1 atoms is called?

Water that contains hydrogen-2 instead of hydrogen-1 is called heavy water.


How many hydrogen atoms are needed to form five water molecules?

Chemical formula for water is H2O. One water molecule has 2 hydrogen atoms. That means 10 hydrogen atoms are needed to form five water molecules.The ration between hydrogen and oxygen in a water molecule is 2:1. In five water molecules, there are five oxygen atoms. According the ratio, there are 10 hydrogen atoms.


How many atoms does water make up?

There are three atoms in a molecule of water. One oxygen atom and 2 hydrogen atoms. The simplified form for the molecule of water is H2O which is a coded form for the 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen atoms that make up the molecule.


How many hydrogen atoms are in a representative particle of water?

A water molecule (H2O) contain two hydrogen atoms.


Are hydrogen atoms in water molecules identical to all other hydrogen atoms?

yes