How Do We Know Methane (CH4) Is Tetrahedral? – Master Organic Chemistry

What Do The Valence Electrons Of Carbon Tell Us About The Bonding In CH₄?

(Hint: since the dipole moment of CH₄ is zero, the answer is, “not enough”)

If the orbital  configuration  of carbon is 2s²2p² , then how can we use this information to figure out what the arrangement of the orbitals are in a simple organic molecule like methane (CH₄)?

It turns out that methane is tetrahedral, with 4 equal bond  angles of 109.5° and 4 equal bond lengths, and no dipole moment.

This brings up two questions. First, how do we know that CH₄ is tetrahedral? And secondly, how do  we reconcile this  electronic…