JEE Main · 2022 · Shift-ImediumBOND-003

Which of the following pair of molecules contain an odd electron molecule and an expanded octet molecule?

Chemical Bonding · Class 11 · JEE Main Previous Year Question

Question

Which of the following pair of molecules contain an odd electron molecule and an expanded octet molecule?

Options
  1. a

    BCl3\mathrm{BCl_3} and SF6\mathrm{SF_6}

  2. b

    NO and H2SO4\mathrm{H_2SO_4}

  3. c

    SF6\mathrm{SF_6} and H2SO4\mathrm{H_2SO_4}

  4. d

    BCl3\mathrm{BCl_3} and NO

Correct Answerb

NO and H2SO4\mathrm{H_2SO_4}

Detailed Solution

🧠 Two properties to identify: (i) odd-electron molecule — total valence electrons is odd; (ii) expanded octet molecule — central atom from period 3+ has more than 4 bond pairs.

Check odd-electron: NO has 5+6=115 + 6 = 11 valence electrons (odd) → odd-electron molecule ✓

Check expanded octet: \ceH2SO4\ce{H2SO4} — S forms 2 S=O bonds and 2 S–OH bonds (or 4 bonds + expanded resonance), giving S more than 8e. Expanded octet ✓

Eliminate distractors:

  • \ceBCl3\ce{BCl3}: B has 6e — electron-deficient, not expanded
  • \ceSF6\ce{SF6}: S has 12e — expanded octet, but not odd-electron

Only option (b) pairs an odd-electron molecule (NO) with an expanded-octet molecule (\ceH2SO4\ce{H2SO4}).

Answer: (b) NO and \ceH2SO4\boxed{\text{Answer: (b) NO and } \ce{H2SO4}}

Practice this question with progress tracking

Want timed practice with adaptive difficulty? Solve this question (and hundreds more from Chemical Bonding) inside The Crucible, our adaptive practice platform.

Which of the following pair of molecules contain an odd electron molecule and an expanded octet… (JEE Main 2022) | Canvas Classes