Which of the following species has a linear molecular geometry?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following species has a linear molecular geometry?
BeCl2
NH3
H2O
CH3Cl
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following species has a linear molecular geometry?
Step 1: Understand what molecular geometry means. It describes the shape of a molecule based on how atoms are arranged.
Step 2: Identify the species in question, which is BeCl2 (Beryllium dichloride).
Step 3: Determine the number of bonding pairs in BeCl2. Beryllium (Be) is bonded to two chlorine (Cl) atoms, so there are 2 bonding pairs.
Step 4: Check for lone pairs on the central atom (Be). Beryllium has no lone pairs.
Step 5: Use the VSEPR theory (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) to predict the shape. With 2 bonding pairs and no lone pairs, the shape is linear.
Step 6: Conclude that BeCl2 has a linear molecular geometry.
