Which of the following has a square planar geometry?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following has a square planar geometry?
XeF4
SF4
ClF3
BrF5
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following has a square planar geometry?
Correct Answer: XeF4
Step 1: Understand what square planar geometry means. It is a shape where four atoms are arranged in a square around a central atom, and there are two lone pairs of electrons above and below the square.
Step 2: Identify the molecule in question, which is XeF4 (Xenon Tetrafluoride).
Step 3: Determine the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs in XeF4. It has four bonding pairs (from the four fluorine atoms) and two lone pairs (on the xenon atom).
Step 4: Use the VSEPR theory (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) to predict the shape. With four bonding pairs and two lone pairs, the shape is square planar.
Step 5: Conclude that XeF4 has a square planar geometry.