The structure of `H_2O_2` is

Options

A. Planar
B. Non-planar
C. Linear
D. none of these

Answer

To determine the structure of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Molecular Formula**:
- The molecular formula for hydrogen peroxide is H₂O₂. This indicates that there are two hydrogen (H) atoms and two oxygen (O) atoms.

2. **Determine the Bonding**:
- In hydrogen peroxide, the two oxygen atoms are connected by a single bond (O-O). Each oxygen atom is also bonded to one hydrogen atom (H-O).

3. **Draw the Basic Structure**:
- Start by drawing the two oxygen atoms connected by a single bond:
```
O - O
```
- Next, add the hydrogen atoms to each oxygen:
```
H H
\ /
O - O
```

4. **Consider the Lone Pairs**:
- Each oxygen atom in H₂O₂ has two lone pairs of electrons. This affects the geometry of the molecule.
- The structure can be represented as:
```
H
\
O - O
/
H
```
- Each oxygen atom has two lone pairs, which are not shown in the basic structure but are important for understanding the molecular geometry.

5. **Analyze the Molecular Geometry**:
- The presence of lone pairs on the oxygen atoms leads to a non-planar structure. The hydrogen atoms are not in the same plane due to the repulsion between the lone pairs and the bonding pairs.
- This results in a dihedral angle between the two planes formed by the hydrogen atoms.

6. **Conclude the Structure**:
- The final structure of H₂O₂ can be described as having an "open book" conformation due to the arrangement of the hydrogen atoms in different planes.

### Final Structure Representation:
```
H
\
O - O
/
H
```