Chemistry · CHEMICAL BONDING AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE

Refer to the shapes of molecules with no lone pairs shown in Fig. 4.6 (\( \text{BeCl}_2 \), \( \text{BF}_3 \), \( \text{CH}_4 \), and \( \text{PCl}_5 \)). In \( \text{PCl}_5 \), two different bond angles (\( 90^\circ \) and \( 120^\circ \)) are depicted. Why do axial and equatorial bonds in this molecule experience different extents of repulsion according to VSEPR theory?

1. A
   Axial bond pairs suffer repulsions from only two equatorial bond pairs at \( 90^\circ \).
2. B
   Each axial bond pair experiences repulsion from three equatorial bond pairs at \( 90^\circ \), which is greater than the repulsions experienced by equatorial bond pairs.
3. C
   Equatorial bond pairs suffer repulsions from four equatorial bond pairs at \( 120^\circ \).
4. D
   Axial bonds are shorter than equatorial bonds, forcing the electron pairs closer to the phosphorus atom.