Question

What is the electron geometry and molecular geometry for `SCl_2`?

Answer 1

The electron geometry is tetrahedral and the molecular geometry is bent.

Explanation:

To determine the geometries, you must follow a series of steps.

Step 1. Draw the Lewis structure.

Step 2. Use VSEPR theory to determine the electron geometry.

`"SCl"_2` has 2 lone pairs and 2 bonded atoms, for a total of four electron groups.

According to VSEPR theory, four electron groups will point towards the corners of a tetrahedron.

(From BC Open Textbooks)

The electron geometry is tetrahedral.

Step 3. Determine the molecular shape.

When describing the shape of a molecule, we ignore the lone pairs and look only at the bonds.

The two `"S-Cl"` bonds are bent at an angle, so the molecular geometry is bent.