The bond angle
in methanol is :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → 108.9°
In an alcohol the oxygen atom is sp3 hybridised: two of its sp3 orbitals form the C–O and O–H bonds, and the other two hold lone pairs. A perfect tetrahedral angle would be 109°28′, but the two lone pairs repel the bonding pairs more strongly than bond pairs repel each other. This squeezes the bond angle at oxygen to slightly less than the tetrahedral angle.
In methanol the angle marked at oxygen, between the C–O and O–H bonds, is 108.9°.
NCERT (2026-27 edition):
Structures of Functional Groups – “In alcohols, the oxygen of the –OH group is attached to carbon by a sigma (σ) bond formed by the overlap of a sp3 hybridised orbital of carbon with a sp3 hybridised orbital of oxygen. Fig. 7.1 depicts structural aspects of methanol, phenol and methoxymethane. … The bond angle in alcohols is slightly less than the tetrahedral angle (109°-28′). It is due to the repulsion between the unshared electron pairs of oxygen.”
