What is the electron geometry of SCl_4?

• A. Octahedral
• B. Square planar
• C. Tetrahedral
• D. Trigonal bipyramidal

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the central atom and count its valence electrons. Sulfur (S) is the central atom, and it has 6 valence electrons.
2. Count the number of bonded atoms and lone pairs around the central atom. In SCl_4, sulfur is bonded to 4 chlorine atoms and has 1 lone pair (since 6 valence electrons minus 4 bonding pairs leaves 2 electrons or 1 lone pair).
3. Determine the steric number, which is the sum of bonded atoms and lone pairs around the central atom. Here, steric number = 4 (bonded atoms) + 1 (lone pair) = 5.
4. Use the steric number to predict the electron geometry. A steric number of 5 corresponds to a trigonal bipyramidal electron geometry.
5. Understand that the molecular shape (or molecular geometry) may differ due to lone pairs, but the electron geometry considers both bonding and lone pairs, so for SCl_4, the electron geometry is trigonal bipyramidal.