Questions: What is the molecular shape of COCl2? linear bent tetrahedral trigonal pyramidal trigonal planar The C-Cl bond in COCl2 is What is the Cl-C-Cl bond angle? 120° 180° <109.5° 109.5° The molecule COCl2 is nonpolar. polar

What is the molecular shape of COCl2?
linear
bent
tetrahedral
trigonal pyramidal
trigonal planar

The C-Cl bond in COCl2 is
What is the Cl-C-Cl bond angle?
120°
180°
<109.5°
109.5°

The molecule COCl2 is nonpolar. polar

Transcript text: What is the molecular shape of $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$ ? linear bent tetrahedral trigonal pyramidal trigonal planar The $\mathrm{C}-\mathrm{Cl}$ bond in $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$ is $\square$ What is the $\mathrm{Cl}-\mathrm{C}-\mathrm{Cl}$ bond angle? $120^{\circ}$ $180^{\circ}$ $<109.5^{\circ}$ $109.5^{\circ}$ The molecule $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$ is $\square$ nonpolar. polar

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Determine the Molecular Shape of $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$

To determine the molecular shape of $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$, we need to consider the central atom, which is carbon (C). The carbon atom is bonded to two chlorine (Cl) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. The Lewis structure of $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$ shows that carbon forms a double bond with oxygen and single bonds with each chlorine atom.

The steric number (number of bonded atoms + lone pairs) around the carbon atom is 3 (two Cl atoms and one O atom). According to VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory, a steric number of 3 corresponds to a trigonal planar shape.

Step 2: Determine the $\mathrm{Cl}-\mathrm{C}-\mathrm{Cl}$ Bond Angle

In a trigonal planar molecular geometry, the bond angles are typically $120^\circ$. Therefore, the $\mathrm{Cl}-\mathrm{C}-\mathrm{Cl}$ bond angle in $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$ is $120^\circ$.

Step 3: Determine the Polarity of $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$

To determine if $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$ is polar or nonpolar, we need to consider the electronegativity of the atoms and the molecular geometry. The carbon-oxygen double bond is polar due to the difference in electronegativity between carbon and oxygen. The carbon-chlorine bonds are also polar, but the molecule is not symmetrical due to the presence of the oxygen atom, which creates a net dipole moment. Therefore, $\mathrm{COCl}_{2}$ is a polar molecule.