Question

Which of the following molecules geometry is true?

(a) BrF5 – Triagonal pyramidal

(b) ClF3 – T-shape

(c) PCl5 – See-saw

(d) SF4 – Triagonal bipyramidal

I got this question by my college professor while I was bunking the class.

Origin of the question is Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) Theory topic in chapter Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure of Chemistry – Class 11

Answer 1

The correct choice is (b) ClF3 – T-shape

To explain: The molecule ClF5 has T-shape as it 3 bonding pairs and 2 lone pairs, so it’s true. The molecules BrF5, PCl5, and SF4 have the shapes square pyramidal, trigonal bipyramidal and see-saw respectively.