Is SiCl4 square planar or tetrahedral?

1 Answer
Ernest Z.
Nov 18, 2015

"SiCl"_4 is tetrahedral.

Explanation:

The Lewis structure of "SiCl"_4 is

Lewis structureLewis structure

This is an "AX"_4-type molecule, with four "Si-Cl" bonds.

According to VSEPR theory, these bonds must be pointing towards the corners of a regular tetrahedron.

TetrahedronTetrahedron

So "SiCl"_4 has a tetrahedral shape.

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