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NEET CHEMISTRYEasy

The species, having bond angles of 120° is :

A

PH3\text{PH}_3

B

ClF3\text{ClF}_3

C

NCl3\text{NCl}_3

D

BCl3\text{BCl}_3

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine the bond angles, we need to find the hybridisation and geometry of each species using VSEPR theory:

  • BCl3\text{BCl}_3: The central boron atom has 3 valence electrons and forms 3 σ\sigma bonds with chlorine atoms, leaving 0 lone pairs. Its steric number is 3, corresponding to sp2sp^2 hybridisation. The geometry is trigonal planar, which results in bond angles of exactly 120120^\circ.
  • PH3\text{PH}_3: Phosphorus has 5 valence electrons. It forms 3 σ\sigma bonds and has 1 lone pair. Due to Drago's rule, hybridisation is negligible, and the bond angle is close to 9090^\circ (93.5\sim 93.5^\circ).
  • NCl3\text{NCl}_3: Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons. It forms 3 σ\sigma bonds and has 1 lone pair (sp3sp^3 hybridised). The geometry is trigonal pyramidal, and due to lone pair-bond pair repulsion, the bond angle is compressed to less than 109.5109.5^\circ (107\sim 107^\circ).
  • ClF3\text{ClF}_3: Chlorine has 7 valence electrons. It forms 3 σ\sigma bonds and has 2 lone pairs (sp3dsp^3d hybridised). The geometry is T-shaped, with bond angles slightly less than 9090^\circ due to strong lone pair repulsions. Therefore, BCl3\text{BCl}_3 is the only species with a bond angle of 120120^\circ.
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