A central atom has two lone pairs on opposite sides and four single bonds. What is the molecule geometry of the result?(1 point)
Responses
tetrahedral
tetrahedral
linear
linear
octahedral
octahedral
square planar
square planar
To determine the molecular geometry of a molecule with a central atom that has two lone pairs on opposite sides and four single bonds, we can use the VSEPR theory.
VSEPR stands for Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion, which states that electron pairs (both bonding and lone pairs) around a central atom repel each other. This repulsion causes the electron pairs to arrange themselves in a way that maximizes their separation.
In this case, the central atom has two lone pairs and four single bonds. The lone pairs will repel the bonding pairs more strongly than the bonding pairs repel each other.
Based on this information, we can determine the molecular geometry by counting the total number of electron groups around the central atom. In this case, the two lone pairs and the four single bonds give us a total of six electron groups.
If we disregard the lone pairs and only consider the bonding pairs, we can see that there are four bonding pairs. This suggests a tetrahedral arrangement for the bonding pairs.
However, we need to consider the presence of the two lone pairs as well. Lone pairs take up more space or have greater electron repulsion compared to bonding pairs. As a result, the presence of two lone pairs will distort the arrangement of the bonding pairs.
Therefore, the correct molecular geometry for a central atom with two lone pairs on opposite sides and four single bonds is square planar.