Which of the following species has a linear molecular shape?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following species has a linear molecular shape?
BeCl2
SF6
NH3
H2O
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following species has a linear molecular shape?
Step 1: Understand what a linear molecular shape means. A linear shape means that the atoms are arranged in a straight line.
Step 2: Identify the species in question. In this case, we are looking at BeCl2.
Step 3: Determine the number of bonding pairs in BeCl2. BeCl2 has two chlorine (Cl) atoms bonded to one beryllium (Be) atom, which means it has two bonding pairs.
Step 4: Check for lone pairs on the central atom (Be). Beryllium has no lone pairs in BeCl2.
Step 5: Use the VSEPR theory (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) to predict the shape. Since there are two bonding pairs and no lone pairs, the shape will be linear.
Step 6: Conclude that BeCl2 has a linear molecular shape.
