Question

what is the molecular geometry of sf₄?
trigonal bipyramidal
seesaw
t - shaped
square planar

Explanation:

To determine the molecular geometry of \( SF_4 \), we first look at its electron - pair geometry. Sulfur (\( S \)) has 6 valence electrons, and each fluorine (\( F \)) has 7 valence electrons. The total number of valence electrons in \( SF_4 \) is \( 6+(4\times7)=34 \).
The Lewis structure of \( SF_4 \) shows that sulfur forms 4 single bonds with fluorine atoms and has 1 lone pair.
According to the VSEPR (Valence - Shell Electron - Pair Repulsion) theory, when the central atom has 5 electron pairs (4 bonding pairs and 1 lone pair), the electron - pair geometry is trigonal bipyramidal.
However, the molecular geometry (which considers only the positions of the atoms) is seesaw. This is because the lone pair occupies an equatorial position in the trigonal bipyramidal electron - pair geometry to minimize repulsions.

Answer:

seesaw