PCl5 has 5 bonding pairs and no lone pairs, resulting in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry.
What is the molecular geometry of PCl5?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the molecular geometry of PCl5?
Trigonal planar
Tetrahedral
Octahedral
Trigonal bipyramidal
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the molecular geometry of PCl5?
Step 1: Identify the central atom in PCl5, which is phosphorus (P).
Step 2: Count the number of chlorine (Cl) atoms bonded to phosphorus. There are 5 Cl atoms.
Step 3: Determine the number of bonding pairs. Since there are 5 Cl atoms, there are 5 bonding pairs.
Step 4: Check for lone pairs on the central atom (P). There are no lone pairs on phosphorus in PCl5.
Step 5: Use the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs to determine the molecular geometry. With 5 bonding pairs and no lone pairs, the geometry is trigonal bipyramidal.
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