Which of the following statements is correct ? — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: Check the dipole moment of each species: (i) CO2 is linear and symmetrical, so the C-O dipoles cancel out (mu = 0). (ii) COCl2 is an asymmetrical trigonal planar molecule with different terminal groups, so mu > 0. Step 2: (iii) CH2Cl2 is tetrahedral but asymmetrical, which means its dipoles do not cancel out (mu > 0). (iv) BCl3 is a symmetrical trigonal planar molecule where the three B-Cl bond dipoles cancel out completely (mu = 0). Step 3: Thus, only species (i) and (iv) have a zero dipole moment, which corresponds to option (a).