In: Chemistry
1. PF5 has five single bonds to the central atom. SF4 has four single bonds to the central atom and the central atom possesses a lone pair of electrons. How can this observation be used to explain the different bond angles you measured.
there is always repulsion between bonding electrons so the bonds placed itself in the position far apart from each other so PF5 will have trigonal bipyramidal shape and the bond angles are 90o,180o, 120o.
the two fluorines above and below the plane are in 180o .3 fluorine atoms are in the same plane with P each separated by the angle 120o the fluorines above and below are apart from the planar fluorines at 90o
in the case of SF4 we have to consider the lone pair electrons lone pair-bond pair repulsion is more than bond pair-bond pair so all the bond pairs tend to be away from lone pair and away from each other. SF4 in seesaw shape the bond angles are .173.1o,101.6o instead of 180 and 120 because of lone pair -bond pair repulsion
Consequently, the molecule has two distinct types of F ligands, two axial and two equatorial
axial -173.1o separated by each other
equatorial-101.6o separated by each other