Question

Notice that P, S, and Cl are the central atoms in which a lewis dot structure is shown with the central atom having more than ______ electrons.

Answer 1

The central atoms phosphorus, sulfur, and chlorine can form Lewis structures with more than eight valence electrons due to the availability of d orbitals, which allows for expanded octets in molecules like PF5, PCl5, and SF6.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the Lewis dot structures of molecules with phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and chlorine (Cl) as central atoms, which can have expanded octets. When drawing Lewis structures for molecules like PF5, PCl5, or SF6, you may find that the number of valence electrons around the central atom exceeds eight. This is possible due to the availability of d orbitals in the third period and beyond, allowing these atoms to have more than an octet of electrons.

In PF5, for instance, the central atom P has five valence electrons and bonds with five fluorine atoms, each contributing one electron for a total of 10 electrons around the central P atom. Similarly, in PCl5 and SF6, the central atoms P and S share five and six pairs of electrons, respectively, resulting in expanded valence shells. Each Cl atom in the PCl5 molecule contains three lone pairs and one shared pair of electrons, while in SF6, each F atom forms a single bond with the central S atom, with no lone pairs on the S atom.