Consider the molecule PF4Cl. (c) Predict the molecular geometry of PF4Cl. How did your answer for part (b) influence your answer here in part (c)?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Determine the central atom in the molecule. In PF4Cl, the central atom is P (Phosphorus).
2. Step 2: Draw the Lewis structure of the molecule. The Lewis structure is a diagram that shows the bonding between atoms of a molecule and the lone pairs of electrons that may exist in the molecule. In PF4Cl, P is surrounded by 5 other atoms (4 F atoms and 1 Cl atom), and it does not have any lone pair of electrons.
3. Step 3: Determine the electron geometry of the molecule. The electron geometry is determined by the number of electron groups (bonding and non-bonding) around the central atom. In PF4Cl, there are 5 electron groups around the central atom P, so the electron geometry is trigonal bipyramidal.
4. Step 4: Determine the molecular geometry of the molecule. The molecular geometry is determined by the positions of the atoms in space. In PF4Cl, since there are no lone pairs on the central atom and there are 5 atoms surrounding it, the molecular geometry is also trigonal bipyramidal.
5. Step 5: Reflect on how the answer for part (b) influenced the answer for part (c). In part (b), we determined the electron geometry, which is the same as the molecular geometry when there are no lone pairs on the central atom. Therefore, the answer for part (b) directly determined the answer for part (c).

Key Concepts

VSEPR Theory

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) Theory is a model used to predict the geometry of molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs surrounding a central atom. According to VSEPR, electron pairs, whether bonding or lone pairs, will arrange themselves to minimize repulsion, leading to specific molecular shapes. For PF4Cl, the presence of five regions of electron density (four P-F bonds and one P-Cl bond) will determine its geometry.

Molecular Geometry

Molecular geometry refers to the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms within a molecule. It is influenced by the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs of electrons around the central atom. In the case of PF4Cl, the molecular geometry can be predicted as trigonal bipyramidal due to the five bonding pairs, which affects the angles and overall shape of the molecule.

Influence of Hybridization

Hybridization is the concept of mixing atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals that can accommodate bonding. In PF4Cl, the phosphorus atom undergoes sp3d hybridization to form five equivalent orbitals for bonding with four fluorine atoms and one chlorine atom. Understanding hybridization helps in predicting the molecular geometry and bond angles, as it directly relates to the arrangement of electron pairs around the central atom.