What is the hybridization of the central atom in XeF4?

What is the hybridization of the central atom in XeF4?

Step 1: Identify the central atom in the molecule XeF4, which is xenon (Xe).
Step 2: Count the number of valence electrons for xenon. Xenon has 8 valence electrons.
Step 3: Count the number of fluorine (F) atoms bonded to xenon. There are 4 fluorine atoms.
Step 4: Each fluorine atom contributes 1 electron for bonding, so 4 fluorine atoms contribute 4 electrons.
Step 5: Calculate the total number of electrons used for bonding: 8 (from Xe) - 4 (from F) = 4 electrons left.
Step 6: The remaining 4 electrons will form 2 lone pairs on the xenon atom.
Step 7: Determine the steric number, which is the number of bonded atoms plus lone pairs: 4 (from F) + 2 (lone pairs) = 6.
Step 8: Identify the hybridization based on the steric number. A steric number of 6 corresponds to dsp3 hybridization.
Step 9: Conclude that the geometry of XeF4 is square planar due to the arrangement of the bonded atoms and lone pairs.

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