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Which of the following species is not likely to have a tetrahedral shape?

NF4+
SF4 -THIS ONE IS CORRECT
BF4−
BeCl42−
SiBr4
AlCl4−

asked
User Asmmo
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8.1k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

SF4, or sulfur tetrafluoride, is not likely to have a tetrahedral shape due to its trigonal bipyramidal electron-pair geometry and seesaw molecular structure, which is the result of one lone pair of electrons on the sulfur atom.

Step-by-step explanation:

The molecule that is not likely to have a tetrahedral shape is SF4 (sulfur tetrafluoride). This compound has a trigonal bipyramidal electron-pair geometry and a seesaw molecular structure. The reason SF4 does not have a tetrahedral shape is due to the presence of one lone pair of electrons on the sulfur atom, which distorts the geometry from a perfect tetrahedron.

Other compounds listed like NF4+, BF4−, BeCl42−, SiBr4, and AlCl4− all have shapes that are essentially tetrahedral because they have four bonded atoms with no lone pairs on the central atom, leading to the tetrahedral molecular structure.

answered
User Torleif
by
8.4k points
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