What is the geometry of #"nitrosyl chloride"#, #O=N-Cl#?

2 Answers

To look at this another way, there are THREE electron pairs around the central nitrogen atom.....

Explanation:

Now the electron pairs in the plane adopt a geometry that minimizes electronic interaction. And reasonably the electron pairs lie in a trigonal plane with respect to the other electron pairs.

And so the electron pairs adopt a trigonal planar geometry. But we describe molecular geometry on the basis of the bound atoms, not the electron pairs. And so we describe a bent molecular geometry, with one lone pair on the central atom....#/_O-N-Cl<120^@# due to the disproportionate influence of the nitrogen lone pair....

Dec 16, 2017

Bent

Explanation:

According to the table if the central atom is bonded to two atoms and it has one loan pair of electron then its shape will be bent.
In our case the central atom viz Nitrogen is bonded to two atoms Chlorine and Oxygen also it has a loan pair of electron hence its shape should be bent and not linear.