Question

consider the following lewis structure for xeo₃ and answer the following three questions.
what is the ideal o - xe - o bond angle? (choose the closest value.)
90°
109°
120°
180°
what is the molecular geometry?
tetrahedral
trigonal planar
trigonal pyramidal
t - shaped

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the electron - domain geometry

Xe in \(XeO_3\) has 3 bonding pairs and 1 lone pair. The electron - domain geometry is tetrahedral (based on VSEPR theory, \(AX_3E\) where \(A\) is the central atom, \(X\) is the bonded atom, and \(E\) is the lone pair).

Step2: Determine the molecular geometry and bond angle

In a tetrahedral electron - domain geometry with \(AX_3E\) (molecular formula \(XeO_3\)), the molecular geometry is trigonal pyramidal. The ideal bond angle for a tetrahedral electron - domain geometry is \(109^{\circ}\). Although the lone pair causes some distortion, the closest value among the given options for the \(O - Xe - O\) bond angle (based on the electron - domain geometry reference) is \(109^{\circ}\).

Answer:

For the bond - angle question: \(109^{\circ}\)
For the molecular geometry question: trigonal pyramidal