Question

what is the hybridization of the central atom in the sulfur tetrafluoride (sf4) molecule?

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the valence - electron of sulfur

Sulfur is in Group 16, so it has 6 valence electrons.

Step2: Determine the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs

In $SF_4$, sulfur forms 4 bonds with fluorine atoms. So, the number of bonding pairs ($BP$) = 4. The number of lone - pairs ($LP$) on sulfur is calculated as: Valence electrons of sulfur - (Number of bonds×2)/2. So, $LP=\frac{6 - 4}{2}=1$.

Step3: Calculate the steric number

The steric number ($SN$) is the sum of the number of bonding pairs and lone pairs. $SN=BP + LP=4 + 1=5$.

Step4: Determine the hybridization

When the steric number is 5, the hybridization of the central atom is $sp^3d$.

Answer:

$sp^3d$