Match each molecule with an angle around the central atom.
-sulfur dioxide

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The central atom in sulfur dioxide is sulfur, which has a steric number of 3 and a trigonal planar electron geometry. Since there are two bonding pairs and one lone pair of electrons around sulfur, the shape is bent or V-shaped. The bond angle between the two oxygen atoms is determined by the repulsion between the bonding pairs and the lone pair, which is greater than the repulsion between the two bonding pairs. This leads to a decrease in the bond angle from the ideal trigonal planar angle of 120°. The actual bond angle is slightly less than 120°, but not as low as 109.5°, which is the angle for sp3 hybridization. The correct angle for sulfur dioxide is about 118°, which is most similar to choice D.

Match Each Molecule with an Angle Around the Central Atom