The shape of carbocation is:
Chemical Bonding · Class 11 · JEE Main Previous Year Question
The shape of carbocation is:
- a
Diagonal pyramidal
- b✓
Trigonal planar
- c
Tetrahedral
- d
Diagonal
Trigonal planar
🧠 A carbocation has a central carbon with 3 bond pairs and an empty p orbital — that p orbital does not count as an electron group, leaving 3 groups → sp² hybridisation → trigonal planar geometry.
⚠️ Trap: the empty orbital is perpendicular to the plane (unhybridised p), not in-plane. The molecule is flat, not pyramidal. Confusing "empty orbital" with "lone pair" leads to a wrong tetrahedral prediction.
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