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Which of the following is not true, with respect to the central atom?

select one:
a. BF₃; Sp₂
b. NH₃; Sp₃
c. AlF₃; Sp₂
d. PF₃; Sp₃

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

c. AlF₃; Sp₂. The statement 'AlF₃; Sp²' is not true as aluminum in AlF₃ does not typically exhibit sp² hybridization in its ionic form.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asked which of the following is not true with respect to the central atom's hybridization:

  • BF₃; Sp²
  • NH₃; Sp³
  • AlF₃; Sp²
  • PF₃; Sp³

The correct hybridizations for the given molecules are:

  • BF₃; Sp²
  • NH₃; Sp³
  • PF₃; Sp³

AlF₃ is an ionic compound and the aluminum ion typically exhibits an electron configuration without hybridization in the solid state. However, in some coordination complexes, aluminum can be sp² hybridized. Nonetheless, this is not the case for simple ionic compounds like AlF₃. Therefore, the statement c. AlF₃; Sp² is not true, since aluminum does not adopt sp₂ hybridization in AlF₃.

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