The Theory of the Structure of Hydrogen Peroxide and Hydrazine

Abstract

The method of electron pairs has been applied to determine the most stable configuration for the atoms in the molecules HO–OH and H₂N–NH₂. The calculations show that free rotation cannot occur in either of these molecules at ordinary temperatures and that the only stable forms are those in which the azimuth of one‐half of the molecule with respect to the other is approximately 90°. The essential feature of the argument is that the electrons of the two central atoms arrange themselves to form the strongest possible bonds and in so doing render the charge density on these atoms unsymmetrical about the axis of the molecule. The interaction of the two electronic clouds is the dominant factor in determining the azimuth of one group relative to the other; all other types of interaction have been estimated to shift the equilibrium position only slightly, i.e., probably from 90° to 100°.