please help with this ? Compare and contrast the compounds NH3 and PH3 in terms of bonding, molecular geometry (shape), and intermolecular forces. Which substance would experience a stronger attraction between its molecules, and why?

Question

australopithecus · Answer

they both have Pyramidal geometry, they both would have the potential to form hydrogen bonds with other molecules, the Nitrogen would form a stronger attraction because it is more electronegative due to have a smaller shell of electrons covering the protons. 
They would both have covalent bonds

australopithecus · Answer

their geometry is Pyramidal because nitrogen and phosphorous have a loan pair of electrons you can read about it here https://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/205trigpyramid.html

australopithecus · Answer

their bonds are covalent because the hydrogen shares its electrons with nitrogen as well as the phosphorous

australopithecus · Answer

although the electrons would tend to want to hang around the nitrogen and phosphorous atom more

anonymous · Answer

oh I see

anonymous · Answer

thats cool!

australopithecus · Answer

In an ionic bond a metal gives all of its electrons away (so it can be more like a noble gas) to a non metal, for example NaCl is an example of an ionic bond

anonymous · Answer

atom more?

australopithecus · Answer

more than the hydrogen atom

australopithecus · Answer

this has intermolecular implications but yeah not important for the question

anonymous · Answer

an Ph3 is like what its in the soil right?  it also have a lower electronegativity than hydrogen??

australopithecus · Answer

I don't know much about phosphine to be honest, but I was talking about the atoms themselves.

Phosphorous (P) and Nitrogen (N)

There is trend in the periodic table

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EN = electronegativity the ability of an atom to attract and hold electrons (the most electronegative atom is fluorine)

This trend occurs due to the ratio of protons to electrons, the reason Nitrogen (the atom) is more electronegative than Phosphorous is because Nitrogen has less electrons in between the nucleus and its valance shell than phosphorous does. 

It really comes down to a ratio between protons and electrons

Phosphorus has more electrons per proton than Nitrogen has, thus nitrogen holds on to electrons tighter and therefore can form stronger covalent bonds (I would assume)