Number of lone pairs of electrons in the central atom of SCl2, O3, ClF3 and SF6, respectively, are
Chemical Bonding · Class 11 · JEE Main Previous Year Question
Number of lone pairs of electrons in the central atom of , , and , respectively, are
- a
0, 1, 2 & 2
- b✓
2, 1, 2 & 0
- c
1, 2, 2 & 0
- d
None of these
2, 1, 2 & 0
🧠 Count lone pairs on the central atom of each molecule: LP = (valence e of central − bonds made)/2.
| Molecule | Central | Valence e | Bonds | LP | |---|---|---|---|---| | | S | 6 | 2 | (6−2)/2 = 2 | | | O | 6 | 2 | (6−2)/2 = 1 (one double bond + one single bond) | | | Cl | 7 | 3 | (7−3)/2 = 2 | | | S | 6 | 6 | (6−6)/2 = 0 |
⚠️ Trap for : central O has 1 LP (despite looking like it should have 2). It uses 4 electrons in bonds (1 double + 1 single) and keeps 2 as a lone pair — steric number 3 → sp² bent.
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