Chemistry · Covalent Bonding: Concept of electronegativity, Fajan's rule, dipole moment, Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory and shapes of simple molecules
The shape of is best described as
The shape of \( S C l_{4} \) is best described as \( a: \)
- A. square
- B. tetrahedron
- C. square pyramid
- D. see-saw
Step-by-step solution
Sulfur has 6 valence electrons, and each chlorine contributes 1, but in SCl4, sulfur forms four bonds with chlorine atoms, using 8 electrons, leaving one lone pair on sulfur. This gives a total of 5 electron domains (4 bonds + 1 lone pair), so the electron geometry is trigonal bipyramidal. With one lone pair occupying an equatorial position, the molecular shape is see-saw.