Question

Trigonal bipyramidal has two sites, what are they?

A) Axial and Equatorial
B) Linear and Bent
C) Pyramidal and Planar
D) Tetrahedral and Octahedral

Answer 1

The trigonal bipyramidal shape includes two types of positions for atoms: axial (above and below the central triangle) and equatorial (in the plane of the triangle).

Step-by-step explanation:

The trigonal bipyramidal molecular shape has two distinct positions where atoms can be located: axial and equatorial. Atoms in the axial positions are located above and below the central triangle, with 180° angles relative to each other and 90° angles relative to the equatorial positions. The equatorial positions, on the other hand, are in the same plane as the central triangle and have 120° angles between each pair of equatorial atoms. In the VSEPR theory, larger lone pairs are more likely to be found in equatorial positions due to the greater spatial accommodation.