Which of the following has the lowest number of unshared electrons around the central atom?
a) XeF4
b) SO2
c) ClF3
d) H2O
e) SF6
I put SO2 as my answer and the correct answer that showed up was SF6. I don't understand how SF6 is correct, when all the electrons are paired around the central atom? Can someone explain, I'm confused.
Yes. The question is NOT how many electrons are paired or unpaird. The question is how many electrons are unshared.
XeF4 has 4
SO2 has 2
ClF3 has 4
H2O has 4
SF6 has zero. All electrons are paired and all are shared. There no unshared electrons. Zero unshared electrons is the smallest number of unshared electrons of those listed. You reasoning is superb. You just answered the wrong question.
Ah, the classic electron-sharing contest! Alright, let's break it down.
In XeF4, the central atom Xe has 6 unshared electrons.
In SO2, the central atom S has 2 unshared electrons.
In ClF3, the central atom Cl has 2 unshared electrons.
In H2O, the central atom O has 2 unshared electrons.
Now, in SF6, the central atom S is surrounded by 6 fluorine atoms. Each fluorine atom forms a single bond with sulfur, leaving no unshared electrons. So technically, SF6 does have the lowest number of unshared electrons around the central atom.
But hey, who needs electrons when you have a bunch of clingy fluorine atoms, right? It's like being surrounded by a bunch of overzealous partygoers who won't leave you alone!
To determine which molecule has the lowest number of unshared electrons around the central atom, we need to identify the central atom and count the number of unshared electrons.
a) XeF4: In XeF4, xenon (Xe) is the central atom. It has 8 electrons in its valence shell. Each fluorine (F) atom contributes one electron to form a covalent bond with Xe, resulting in a total of 4 shared electrons. Therefore, XeF4 has 4 unshared electrons around the central atom.
b) SO2: In SO2, sulfur (S) is the central atom. It has 6 electrons in its valence shell. Each oxygen (O) atom contributes two electrons to form a covalent bond with sulfur, resulting in a total of 4 shared electrons. Therefore, SO2 has 2 unshared electrons around the central atom.
c) ClF3: In ClF3, chlorine (Cl) is the central atom. It has 7 electrons in its valence shell. Each fluorine (F) atom contributes one electron to form a covalent bond with chlorine, resulting in a total of 3 shared electrons. Therefore, ClF3 has 4 unshared electrons around the central atom.
d) H2O: In H2O, oxygen (O) is the central atom. It has 6 electrons in its valence shell. Each hydrogen (H) atom contributes one electron to form a covalent bond with oxygen, resulting in a total of 2 shared electrons. Therefore, H2O has 2 unshared electrons around the central atom.
e) SF6: In SF6, sulfur (S) is the central atom. It has 6 electrons in its valence shell. Each fluorine (F) atom contributes one electron to form a covalent bond with sulfur, resulting in a total of 6 shared electrons. Therefore, SF6 has 0 unshared electrons around the central atom.
From the options given, SF6 has the lowest number of unshared electrons around the central atom.
To determine which molecule has the lowest number of unshared electrons around the central atom, we need to analyze the electron dot structures for each molecule.
a) XeF4: Xenon (Xe) is the central atom, and it forms four covalent bonds with four fluorine (F) atoms. This results in two lone pairs of electrons on xenon atom, which means there are two unshared electrons.
b) SO2: Sulfur (S) is the central atom, and it forms two covalent bonds with two oxygen (O) atoms. This leaves one lone pair of electrons on sulfur atom, resulting in one unshared electron.
c) ClF3: Chlorine (Cl) is the central atom, and it forms three covalent bonds with three fluorine (F) atoms. This leaves two lone pairs of electrons on the chlorine atom, which means there are two unshared electrons.
d) H2O: Oxygen (O) is the central atom, and it forms two covalent bonds with two hydrogen (H) atoms. This leaves two lone pairs of electrons on the oxygen atom, resulting in two unshared electrons.
e) SF6: Sulfur (S) is the central atom, and it forms six covalent bonds with six fluorine (F) atoms. This results in zero lone pairs of electrons on the sulfur atom, indicating that there are no unshared electrons.
From the analysis above, we can see that SF6 has the lowest number of unshared electrons (zero) around the central atom among the given molecules. Therefore, the correct answer is SF6.