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If there are four fluorine atoms and one sulfur atom in a compound, what is its chemical formula?

User Jagmitg
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Final answer:

The chemical formula for a compound with four fluorine atoms and one sulfur atom is SF₄, known as sulfur tetrafluoride. Its Lewis structure includes four bonding pairs and one lone pair on sulfur, resulting in a 'see-saw' shape for the molecule.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a compound consists of four fluorine atoms and one sulfur atom, its chemical formula is SF₄.

This molecule is called sulfur tetrafluoride. The Lewis structure for this compound would show a central sulfur atom with four fluorine atoms bonded to it, each with three lone pairs of electrons, and the sulfur having one lone pair.

Sulfur has six valence electrons, and fluorine has seven valence electrons, which are distributed in the Lewis structure to satisfy the octet rule for each of the atoms involved.

This molecule falls under the AX₄E category, meaning it has four bonding pairs and one lone pair on the central atom, which in this case is sulfur.

Because of the asymmetry caused by the lone pair, the molecular structure of SF₄ is called a 'see-saw' or distorted tetrahedral shape.

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