The molecular geometry of SF6 is octahedral. What is the geometry of SF4 (including lone pair(s) of electrons, if any)?
Chemical Bonding · Class 11 · JEE Main Previous Year Question
The molecular geometry of is octahedral. What is the geometry of (including lone pair(s) of electrons, if any)?
- a
Tetrahedral
- b✓
Trigonal bipyramidal
- c
Pyramidal
- d
Square planar
Trigonal bipyramidal
🧠 The question asks for the electron-pair geometry ("including lone pair") of , not the molecular (bond) shape.
: S has 6 valence electrons. 4 S–F bonds use 4e from S, leaving 2e = 1 lone pair. Total electron groups = 4 bonds + 1 LP = 5 → trigonal bipyramidal electron-pair geometry.
The molecular shape (positions of F atoms only) is see-saw, but when the question explicitly includes the lone pair, the full geometry is trigonal bipyramidal.
⚠️ Trap: Option (a) says tetrahedral — that would need 4 groups with 0 LP, which is , not .
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