Question

The pair of xenon compounds which have the same number of lone pairs of electrons on the central atom is

• A. XeO$_3$, XeF$_6$
• B. XeF$_2$, XeF$_4$
• C. XeF$_2$, XeO$_3$
• D. XeF$_4$, XeF$_4$

Hint:

For xenon compounds, count total valence electrons (8 for Xe) and subtract bonding electrons to find the number of lone pairs.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Determine the number of lone pairs on Xe in each compound using VSEPR theory.
Step 2: XeO$_3$ Xenon has 8 valence electrons. It forms 3 Xe–O bonds and has 1 lone pair. So, XeO$_3$ has 1 lone pair on Xe.
Step 3: XeF$_6$ Xenon forms 6 Xe–F bonds and has 1 lone pair. So, XeF$_6$ also has 1 lone pair on Xe.
Step 4: Check the remaining compounds: XeF$_2$ has 3 lone pairs. XeF$_4$ has 2 lone pairs.
Step 5: Therefore, the pair having the same number of lone pairs is XeO$_3$ and XeF$_6$.