What is the electron geometry of ClF5?

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

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Determine the total number of valence electrons for the central atom, chlorine (Cl). Chlorine has 7 valence electrons.
2. Count the number of bonded atoms attached to chlorine. In ClF5, there are 5 fluorine atoms bonded to chlorine.
3. Calculate the number of lone pairs on the central atom by subtracting the bonding pairs from the total valence electrons. Each bond represents 2 electrons, so 5 bonds correspond to 5 bonding pairs (10 electrons). Chlorine has 7 valence electrons, so after bonding with 5 fluorines, determine how many electrons remain as lone pairs.
4. Use the VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory to predict the electron geometry. The total number of electron pairs (bonding + lone pairs) around the central atom determines the electron geometry. For example, 6 electron pairs correspond to an octahedral electron geometry.
5. Identify the electron geometry based on the total electron pairs. Even if the molecular shape is different due to lone pairs, the electron geometry considers all electron pairs, including lone pairs.