Final answer:
The Lewis structure for carbonyl fluoride (COF₂) features a carbon atom with two double bonds to an oxygen and two fluorine atoms. The electron-pair geometry and molecular geometry around the central carbon atom are both linear, with bond angles of 180°.
Step-by-step explanation:
To draw the Lewis structure for carbonyl fluoride (COF₂), we start by placing the carbon atom in the center with oxygen and two fluorine atoms surrounding it. Carbon will form one double bond with oxygen and one single bond with each fluorine, but to fulfill the octet rule, the carbon-oxygen bond must also be a double bond, making two double bonds in total. As carbon is the central atom and forms two double bonds, there are two electron groups around the central atom which will be oriented 180° apart to minimize repulsion, similar to the case in BeH₂.
According to the VSEPR theory, because both groups around the central carbon atom are bonding pairs, COF₂ is designated as AX2. Since lone pairs on the oxygen do not influence the molecular geometry, and there are no lone pairs on the central carbon atom, the molecular geometry is linear. This geometry results in a configuration where the atoms are arranged in a straight line with bond angles of approximately 180°.
Reviewing the geometry around the carbon atom in COF₂, the electron-pair geometry is linear, and because there are only bonding pairs attached to the carbon, the molecular geometry is also linear.