Which of the following species has a tetrahedral shape?

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Q: Which of the following species has a tetrahedral shape?

Solution: CH4 has a tetrahedral shape due to sp3 hybridization of the carbon atom.

Steps: 7

Step 1: Understand what a tetrahedral shape is. A tetrahedral shape means that a central atom is surrounded by four other atoms, forming a three-dimensional shape like a pyramid with a triangular base.
Step 2: Identify the species in question. In this case, we are looking at CH4, which is methane.
Step 3: Determine the central atom in CH4. The central atom is carbon (C).
Step 4: Check the number of bonds the carbon atom forms. In CH4, carbon forms four single bonds with four hydrogen atoms (H).
Step 5: Understand hybridization. The carbon atom in CH4 undergoes sp3 hybridization, which means it mixes one s orbital and three p orbitals to form four equivalent sp3 hybrid orbitals.
Step 6: Visualize the shape. The four sp3 hybrid orbitals arrange themselves in a tetrahedral shape to minimize repulsion between them.
Step 7: Conclude that CH4 has a tetrahedral shape because of the arrangement of the four hydrogen atoms around the carbon atom.