To start with, let’s draw the Lewis structure for silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4). Silicon (Si) is in group 14 of the periodic table and has four valence electrons. Chlorine (Cl), being group 17, has seven valence electrons. In SiCl4, one silicon atom bonds with four chlorine atoms.
The Lewis structure can be constructed as follows:
- Silicon is the central atom.
- Each chlorine atom forms a single bond with silicon, using one electron from each atom, which totals to four pairs of shared electrons.
The resulting Lewis structure shows silicon at the center with four chlorine atoms surrounding it, each connected by a single bond.
Next, we can predict the electron geometry. Since there are four bonded pairs and no lone pairs around the silicon atom, the electron geometry is tetrahedral.
Now let’s consider the molecular geometry. With no lone pairs on the silicon atom, the molecular geometry is also tetrahedral.
Finally, let’s determine if SiCl4 is polar or nonpolar. The molecule exhibits a symmetrical tetrahedral shape, which means the bond dipoles from each Si-Cl bond cancel each other out. Therefore, SiCl4 is considered a nonpolar molecule.
In summary:
- Lewis Structure: Tetrahedral arrangement of Cl atoms around Si
- Electron Geometry: Tetrahedral
- Molecular Geometry: Tetrahedral
- Polarity: Nonpolar