JEE Main · 2024 · Shift-ImediumBOND-010

In which one of the following pairs do the central atoms exhibit sp2 hybridization?

Chemical Bonding · Class 11 · JEE Main Previous Year Question

Question

In which one of the following pairs do the central atoms exhibit sp2\mathrm{sp^2} hybridization?

Options
  1. a

    H2O\mathrm{H_2O} and NO2\mathrm{NO_2}

  2. b

    BF3\mathrm{BF_3} and NO2\mathrm{NO_2^-}

  3. c

    NH2\mathrm{NH_2^-} and H2O\mathrm{H_2O}

  4. d

    NH2\mathrm{NH_2^-} and BF3\mathrm{BF_3}

Correct Answerb

BF3\mathrm{BF_3} and NO2\mathrm{NO_2^-}

Detailed Solution

🧠 sp2\text{sp}^2 requires 3 electron groups on the central atom. Count bonds + lone pairs for each central atom, and identify the pair where both are sp².

| Species | Electron groups | Hybridisation | |---|---|---| | \ceH2O\ce{H2O} | 2 bonds + 2 LP = 4 | sp³ | | \ceNO2\ce{NO2} | 2 bonds + 1 odd e (½ group) ≈ 3 | sp² ✓ | | \ceBF3\ce{BF3} | 3 bonds + 0 LP = 3 | sp² ✓ | | \ceNO2\ce{NO2-} | 2 bonds + 1 LP = 3 | sp² ✓ | | \ceNH2\ce{NH2-} | 2 bonds + 2 LP = 4 | sp³ |

Option (b) pairs \ceBF3\ce{BF3} (sp²) and \ceNO2\ce{NO2-} (sp²). Option (a) includes \ceH2O\ce{H2O} (sp³) — wrong.

Answer: (b) \ceBF3 and \ceNO2\boxed{\text{Answer: (b) } \ce{BF3} \text{ and } \ce{NO2-}}

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