Final answer:
SF4 has a central sulfur atom with sp3d hybridization due to its seesaw molecular geometry, which arises from a trigonal bipyramidal electron pair geometry with one lone electron pair.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking which molecule has a central atom that is sp3d hybridized. To answer this, we need to analyze the molecular geometry of each molecule provided in the options.
Examining each molecule:
- SF4 has a seesaw structure, which comes from a trigonal bipyramidal geometry, with one equatorial position occupied by a lone pair of electrons. Thus, SF4 has sp3d hybridization on the central sulfur atom.
- SF6 has an octahedral structure with no lone pairs on the sulfur atom, indicating sp3d2 hybridization.
- XeF4 has a square planar structure with two lone pairs on the xenon atom, which requires sp3d2 hybridization.
- XeF6 has a distorted octahedral structure due to lone pair repulsion, also requiring sp3d3 hybridization.
Thus, the correct answer is SF4, which has a central sulfur atom with sp3d hybridization.