Which of the following statements is incorrect for PCl5? — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: Analyze the structure of Phosphorus Pentachloride (PCl5). It is sp3d hybridized and has a trigonal bipyramidal shape. Step 2: The molecule contains three equatorial P-Cl bonds and two axial P-Cl bonds. Because axial bonds experience greater repulsion from the equatorial bonds, they are significantly longer than the equatorial bonds. Step 3: Since all bond lengths in PCl5 are not equivalent, its geometry is distorted (asymmetrical) rather than regular. Therefore, the statement that it has a regular geometry is incorrect, which matches option (c).