F2 Molecular Geometry - Science Education and Tutorials

Q: What is the hybridization of F2 Molecular Geometry?

SP3 hybridization for F2 Molecular Geometry

Fluorine gas(F2) has the composition of one fluorine and one fluorine atom. What is the molecular geometry of fluorine gas?. Drawing and predicting the F2 molecular geometry is very easy by following the given method. Here in this post, we described step by step how to construct F2 molecular geometry. Fluorine and fluorine come from the 17th family groups in the periodic table. Fluorine and fluorine have seven and seven valence electrons respectively.

Table of Contents

Key Points To Consider When drawing The F2 Molecular Geometry

A three-step approach for drawing the F2 molecular can be used. The first step is to sketch the molecular geometry of the F2 molecule, to calculate the lone pairs of the electron in the terminal fluorine atom; the second step is to calculate the F2 hybridization, and the third step is to give perfect notation for the F2 molecular geometry.

The F2 molecular geometry is a diagram that illustrates the number of valence electrons and bond electron pairs in the F2 molecule in a specific geometric manner. The geometry of the F2 molecule can then be predicted using the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory (VSEPR Theory) and molecular hybridization theory, which states that molecules will choose the F2 geometrical shape in which the electrons have from one another in the specific molecular structure.

Finally, you must add their bond polarities characteristics to compute the strength of the one F-F single bonds (dipole moment properties of the F2 molecular geometry). One fluorine-fluorine single bonds in the fluorine gas(F2), for example, are polarized toward the more electronegative value fluorine atom, and because (F-F) single bonds have the same size and polarity, their sum is nonzero due to the F2 molecule’s bond dipole moment due to pulling the electron cloud to the two side of linear or tetrahedral geometry, and the F2 molecule is classified as a nonpolar molecule.

The molecule of fluorine gas(with tetrahedral shape F2 molecular geometry) is tilted at 180 degrees bond angle of F-F. It has a difference in electronegativity values between fluorine and fluorine atoms, with fluorine’s pull the electron cloud being greater than fluorine. But the bond polarity of F-F is not canceled to each other in the linear or tetrahedral geometry. As a result, it has a nonzero permanent dipole moment in its molecular structure. The F2 molecule has a nonzero dipole moment due to an unequal charge distribution of negative and positive charges in the linear or tetrahedral geometry.

Overview: F2 electron and molecular geometry

According to the VSEPR theory, the F2 molecule ion possesses linear or tetrahedral molecular geometry. Because the center atom, fluorine, has one F-F single bond with the one fluorine atom surrounding it. The F-F bond angle is 180 degrees in the tetrahedral F2 molecular geometry. The F2 molecule has a linear or tetrahedral geometry shape because it contains one fluorine atom in the tetrahedral and three corners with three lone pairs of electrons.

There is one F-F single bond at the F2 molecular geometry. After linking the one fluorine atom and three lone pairs of electrons on the fluorine atom in the tetrahedral form, it maintains the tetrahedral-shaped structure. In the F2 molecular geometry, the F-F single bond has stayed in the one terminal and three lone pairs of electrons on the fluorine atom of the tetrahedral molecule.

The center fluorine atom of F2 has three lone pairs of electrons, resulting in tetrahedral F2 electron geometry. However, the molecular geometry of F2 looks tetrahedral or linear-shaped and has three lone pairs of electrons on the fluorine of the F2 geometry. It’s the F2 molecule’s slight symmetrical geometry. As a result, the F2 molecule is slightly nonpolar.

How to find F2 hybridization and molecular geometry

Calculating lone pairs of electrons on fluorine in the F2 geometry:

1.Determine the number of lone pairs of electrons in the core fluorine atom of the F2 Lewis structure. Because the lone pairs of electrons on the fluorine atom are mostly responsible for the F2 molecule geometry planar, we need to calculate out how many there are on the terminal fluorine atom of the F2 Lewis structure.

Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the fluorine atom of the F2 molecule.

L.P(F) = V.E(F) – N.A(F-F)

Lone pair on the terminal fluorine atom in F2 = L.P(F)

The core terminal fluorine atom’s valence electron in F2 = V.E(F)

Number of F-F bond = N.A (F-F)

calculation for fluorine atom lone pair in F2 molecule.

For instance of F2, the terminal atom, fluorine, has seven electrons in its outermost valence shell, one F-F single bond connection. This gives a total of one connection.

As a result of this, L.P(F) = (7 –1)=6

The lone pair of electrons in the fluorine atom of the F2 molecule is three.

Calculating lone pair of electrons on fluorine in the F2 geometry:

Finding lone pair of electrons for the terminal fluorine atom is similar to the terminal fluorine atom. We use the following formula as given below

Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the fluorine atom of the F2 molecule.

L.P(F) = V.E(F) – N.A(F-F)

Lone pair on the terminal fluorine atom in F2 = L.P(F)

Terminal fluorine atom’s valence electron in F2= V.E(F)

Number of F-F bonds = N.A ( F-F)

calculation for fluorine atom lone pair in F2 molecule.

For instance of F2, their terminal atoms, fluorine, have seven electrons in its outermost valence shell, one F-F single bond connection. This gives a total of one F-F single bond connection. But we are considering only one connection for the calculation.

As a result of this, L.P(F) = (7 –1)=6

The lone pair of electrons in the fluorine atom of the F2 molecule is six. One fluorine atom is connected with the terminal fluorine atom.

In the F2 electron geometry structure, the lone pairs on the terminal fluorine atom are three, lone pairs of electrons in the fluorine atom have zero. One fluorine atom has no lone pairs of electrons.

It means there are three lone pairs of electrons in the core fluorine atom. Three lone pair of electrons on the terminal fluorine atom are responsible for the linear or tetrahedral nature of F2 molecular geometry. But in the structure fluorine atoms are polarized sidewise in their linear or tetrahedral geometry.

The three lone pairs of electrons are placed at another side of the F2 geometry. Because the fluorine atom is a lower electronegativity value as compared with other atoms in the F2 molecule. One fluorine atom is polarized towards the sidewise in the F2 structure.

But in reality, the F2 has three lone pairs of electrons in its structure. This makes the F2 more asymmetrical in the structure of the molecule. Because there is electric repulsion between bond pairs and lone pairs.

But some sort of interaction is there between fluorine empty hole and lone pairs of electrons of fluorine of another F2 molecule. Here, fluorine of one molecule acts as an acceptor and fluorine of another molecule as a donor. This is called fluorine bonding between the two F2 molecules. This is one of the main intermolecular forces in F2.

But in the terminal, a fluorine atom has three lone pairs of electrons and these lone pair electrons are placed in the three corners of the tetrahedral.

Calculate the number of molecular hybridizations of the F2 molecule

What is F2 hybridization? This is a very fundamental question in the field of molecular chemistry. All the molecules are made of atoms. In chemistry, atoms are the fundamental particles. There are four different types of orbitals in chemistry. They are named s, p, d, and f orbitals.

The entire periodic table arrangement is based on these orbital theories. Atoms in the periodic table are classified as follows:

s- block elements

p- block elements

d-block elements

f-block elements

Atoms are classified in the periodic table

The F2 molecule is made of one fluorine and fluorine atom. The fluorine and fluorine atoms have s and p orbitals. But the fluorine atom has only s orbital in the ground state. fluorine comes as the first element in the periodic table. The fluorine atom also belongs to the halogen family group. But it falls as the third element in the periodic table.

When these atoms combine to form the F2 molecule, its atomic orbitals are mixed and form unique molecular orbitals due to hybridization.

How do you find the F2 molecule’s hybridization? We must now determine the molecular hybridization number of F2.

The formula of F2 molecular hybridization is as follows:

No. Hyb of F2= N.A(F-F bond) + L.P(S)

No. Hy of F2 = the number of hybridizations of F2

Number of F-F bonds = N.A (F-F bonds)

Lone pair on the terminal fluorine atom = L.P(F)

Calculation for hybridization number for F2 molecule

In the F2 molecule, fluorine is a core terminal atom with one fluorine atom connected to it. It has three lone pairs of electrons on fluorine. The number of F2 hybridizations (No. Hyb of F2) can then be estimated using the formula below.

No. Hyb of F2= 3+1=4

The F2 molecule ion hybridization is four. The fluorine and fluorine atoms have s and p orbitals. The sp3 hybridization of the F2 molecule is formed when one s orbital and three p orbitals join together to form the F2 molecular orbital.

Molecular Geometry Notation for F2 Molecule :

Determine the form of F2 molecular geometry using VSEPR theory. The AXN technique is commonly used when the VSEPR theory is used to calculate the shape of the F2 molecule.

The AXN notation of F2 molecule is as follows:

The terminal fluorine atom in the F2 molecule is denoted by the letter A.

The bound pairs (one F-F bonds) of electrons to the core fluorine atom are represented by X.

The lone pairs of electrons on the terminal fluorine atom are denoted by the letter N.

Notation for F2 molecular geometry

We know that F2 is the core atom, with seven electrons pair bound (one F-F) and three lone pairs of electrons. The general molecular geometry formula for F2 is AX1N3.

According to the VSEPR theory, if the F2 molecule ion has an AX1N3 generic formula, the molecular geometry and electron geometry will both be tetrahedral or linear-shaped forms.

Name of Molecule	fluorine gas
Chemical molecular formula	F2
Molecular geometry of F2	Tetrahedral or linear
Electron geometry of F2	Tetrahedral or linear
Hybridization of F2	sp3
Bond angle (F-F)	180º degree
Total Valence electron for F2	14
The formal charge of F2 on fluorine	0

Summary:

In this post, we discussed the method to construct F2 molecular geometry, the method to find the lone pairs of electrons in the terminal F2 atom, F2 hybridization, and F2 molecular notation. Need to remember that, if you follow the above-said method, you can construct the F2 molecular structure very easily.