Question

determine the electron geometry of so₂.
hexahedral
linear
pentahedral
trigonal planar
tetrahedral

Explanation:

To determine the electron geometry of \(SO_2\), we first find the number of electron - density regions around the central atom (S).
The formula for the number of electron - density regions is \(n=\frac{V + M - C + A}{2}\), where \(V\) is the number of valence electrons of the central atom, \(M\) is the number of monovalent atoms, \(C\) is the charge of the cation, and \(A\) is the charge of the anion.
For \(SO_2\), the central atom is \(S\) with \(V = 6\) (sulfur has 6 valence electrons), \(M = 0\) (oxygen is not a monovalent atom), \(C=0\), and \(A = 0\).
So \(n=\frac{6+0 - 0+0}{2}=3\).
According to the VSEPR (Valence - Shell Electron - Pair Repulsion) theory, when the number of electron - density regions \(n = 3\), the electron geometry is trigonal planar.

Answer:

trigonal planar