Vsepr & Hybridisation
In PCl5, axial P–Cl bonds are slightly longer than equatorial because:
Select the correct option:
Solution
Axial bonds suffer greater repulsion from equatorial bonds
- Geometry: PCl5 adopts a Trigonal Bipyramidal (sp3d) geometry.
- Bond Types: It has 3 equatorial bonds (angle 120∘) and 2 axial bonds (perpendicular to the equatorial plane).
- VSEPR Repulsion:
- Axial bonds have three 90∘ repulsions from equatorial atoms.
- Equatorial bonds exhibit only two 90∘ repulsions from axial atoms and two 120∘ from neighbors.
- Constraint: Greater repulsion on axial pairs forces them further from the nucleus.
- Observed result: The axial P−Cl bonds (≈214 pm) are longer and weaker than the equatorial ones (≈202 pm).
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- chemical bonding and molecular structure
- Topic
- vsepr & hybridisation
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Axial bonds suffer greater repulsion from equatorial bonds
- Geometry: PCl5 adopts a Trigonal Bipyramidal (sp3d) geometry.
- Bond Types: It has 3 equatorial bonds (angle 120∘) and 2 axial bonds (perpendicular to the equatorial plane).
- VSEPR Repulsion:
- Axial bonds have three 90∘ repulsions from equatorial atoms.
- Equatorial bonds exhibit only two 90∘ repulsions from axial atoms and two 120∘ from neighbors.
- Constraint: Greater repulsion on axial pairs forces them further from the nucleus.
- Observed result: The axial P−Cl bonds (≈214 pm) are longer and weaker than the equatorial ones (≈202 pm).
This medium difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter chemical bonding and molecular structure, covering the topic of vsepr & hybridisation. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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