Question detail
What is the predicted shape of a molecule with four bonding pairs and one lone pair of electrons?
Try the question, check the answer, then read the explanation to understand the curriculum point.
At a glance
MCQ
Type
practice
Style
Topic
Bonding
Question
- A. Tetrahedral
- B. Trigonal bipyramidal
- C. Seesaw
- D. Square planar
Answer
Seesaw
Explanation
With four bonding pairs and one lone pair, the molecular shape is seesaw due to the arrangement that minimizes electron-pair repulsion, following the VSEPR theory.
Common mistake
Predicting Molecular Shapes
Students often confuse the number of electron pairs with the number of bonds when predicting molecular shapes, leading to incorrect shapes being assigned.
To accurately predict molecular shapes using electron-pair repulsion, remember to count both bonding pairs and lone pairs of electrons. For example, in a molecule like water (H₂O), there are two bonding pairs and two lone pairs. This results in a bent shape due to the repulsion between the lone pairs, which is stronger than that between bonding pairs.
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