Which molecular geometry is least likely to result from a trigonal bipyramidal electron geometry? — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: A trigonal bipyramidal electron geometry corresponds to a steric number of 5 (5 electron domains). Step 2: The geometries that result from a steric number of 5 are: see-saw (4 bps + 1 lp), T-shaped (3 bps + 2 lps), and linear (2 bps + 3 lps). Step 3: A trigonal planar molecular geometry results from a steric number of 3 (3 bps + 0 lps, sp2 hybridized) and is not a derivative of a trigonal bipyramidal arrangement. This matches option (a).