Which of the following compounds have the same no. of lone pairs with their central atom? (I) XeF5^- — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: The dimer of BH3 is diborane (B2H6). In diborane, each boron atom forms four bonds (two terminal B-H 2c-2e bonds and two bridging B-H-B 3c-2e bonds) using four sp3 hybrid orbitals. Step 2: The dimer of BeH2 is Be2H4. In Be2H4, each beryllium atom is connected to two terminal hydrogens and two bridging hydrogens (forming a planar ring) using sp2 hybrid orbitals. Step 3: Thus, the hybridization of the central atoms in the dimers of BH3 and BeH2 is sp3 and sp2 respectively, matching option (b).