The allene molecule has the following Lewis structure:

Problem 32

The allene molecule has the following Lewis structure: Must all hydrogen atoms lie on the same plane? If not, what is their spatial relationship? Explain.

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Step 1 of 2

The structure of allene is as follows.

In allene, the four hydrogen atoms are not in the same plane; instead, they are in two different planes. The central carbon atom in allene is sp hybridized, while the terminal carbon atoms are  hybridized. To form two bonds with two terminal carbon atoms, the central carbon atoms used two separate “p” orbitals.