What is the hybridization of the central atom in a. SiCl4?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the central atom in the molecule SiCl_4, which is silicon (Si).
2. Determine the number of valence electrons for the central atom, Si. Silicon has 4 valence electrons.
3. Count the number of atoms bonded to the central atom. In SiCl_4, there are 4 chlorine atoms bonded to silicon.
4. Add the number of bonded atoms to the number of lone pairs on the central atom. In SiCl_4, there are no lone pairs on silicon, so the total is 4.
5. Use the steric number to determine the hybridization. A steric number of 4 corresponds to sp^3 hybridization.

Key Concepts

Hybridization

Hybridization is a concept in chemistry that describes the mixing of atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals. These hybrid orbitals are used to explain the geometry of molecular bonding. The type of hybridization depends on the number of electron pairs around the central atom, which influences the shape and bond angles of the molecule.

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) Theory

VSEPR theory is a model used to predict the geometry of individual molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs in the valence shell of the central atom. According to this theory, electron pairs will arrange themselves as far apart as possible to minimize repulsion, which helps determine the molecular shape and the hybridization of the central atom.

Silicon Tetrahalides

Silicon tetrahalides, such as SiCl4, are compounds where silicon is bonded to four halogen atoms. In SiCl4, silicon has four valence electrons and forms four equivalent bonds with chlorine atoms. This bonding arrangement leads to a tetrahedral geometry, which is indicative of sp3 hybridization, where one s and three p orbitals combine to form four equivalent sp3 hybrid orbitals.