Question

draw the lewis electron dot structure for so₂. what is the vsepr shape of this particle? trigonal linear tetrahedral bent

Explanation:

• First, determine the number of valence electrons:
• Sulfur (\(S\)) has \(6\) valence electrons, and each oxygen (\(O\)) has \(6\) valence electrons. So for \(SO_{2}\), the total number of valence electrons is \(6 + 2\times6=18\).
• Then, draw the Lewis structure:
• Sulfur is the central atom. It forms a double - bond with one oxygen (\(S = O\)) and a single - bond with the other oxygen (\(S - O\)), and there is a lone pair on the sulfur atom.
• Next, use the VSEPR theory:
• The formula for the VSEPR model is \(AX_{2}E\) (where \(A\) is the central atom, \(X\) is the number of atoms bonded to the central atom, and \(E\) is the number of lone pairs on the central atom).
• For \(SO_{2}\), \(A = S\), \(X = 2\) (two \(O\) atoms), and \(E = 1\) (one lone pair).
• According to the VSEPR theory, the electron - pair geometry is trigonal planar, but the molecular geometry (shape) is bent because we only consider the positions of the atoms (not the lone pairs in terms of the shape name for the molecule).

Answer:

bent