Trichloro iodine or iodine trichloride(ICl3) has the composition of one iodine and three chlorine atoms. What is the molecular geometry of iodine trichloride?. Drawing and predicting the ICl3 molecular geometry is very easy by following the given method. Here in this post, we described step by step to construct ICl3 molecular geometry. Iodine and chlorine come from the 17th family group in the periodic table. Iodine or chlorine has seven valence electrons.
Key Points To Consider When drawing The ICl3 Molecular Geometry
A three-step approach for drawing the ICl3 molecular can be used. The first step is to sketch the molecular geometry of the ICl3 molecule, to calculate the lone pairs of the electron in the central iodine atom; the second step is to calculate the ICl3 hybridization, and the third step is to give perfect notation for the ICl3 molecular geometry.
The ICl3 molecular geometry is a diagram that illustrates the number of valence electrons and bond electron pairs in the ICl3 molecule in a specific geometric manner. The geometry of the ICl3 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 ICl3 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 three I-Cl bonds (dipole moment properties of the ICl3 molecular geometry). The iodine-chlorine and three iodine-chlorine bonds in the iodine trichloride(ICl3), for example, are polarised toward the more electronegative value chlorine atoms, and because all three (I-Cl) bonds have the same size and polarity, their sum is nonzero due to the ICl3 molecule’s bond dipole moment due to pulling the electron cloud to the downside in the trigonal bipyramidal geometry, and the ICl3 molecule is classified as a polar molecule.
The molecule of iodine trichloride(with trigonal bipyramidal shape ICl3 molecular geometry) is tilted at slightly smaller than 90 degrees bond angle of Cl-I-Cl. It has a difference in electronegativity values between iodine and chlorine atoms, with chlorine’s pull the electron cloud being greater than iodine’s. But bond polarity of I-Cl is not canceled to each other in the trigonal bipyramidal geometry. As a result, it has a permanent dipole moment in its molecular structure. The ICl3 molecule has a dipole moment due to an unequal charge distribution of negative and positive charges.
Overview: ICl3 electron and molecular geometry
According to the VSEPR theory, the ICl3 molecule possesses trigonal bipyramidal molecular geometry. Because the center atom, iodine, has three I-Cl bonds with the three chlorine atoms surrounding it. The Cl-I-Cl bond angle is slightly smaller than 90 degrees in the trigonal bipyramidal ICl3 molecular geometry. The ICl3 molecule has a trigonal geometry shape because it contains three chlorine atoms.
There are three I-Cl bonds at the ICl3 molecular geometry. After linking the three chlorine atoms and two lone pairs of electrons in the trigonal bipyramidal form, it maintains the distorted T-shaped structure. In the ICl3 molecular geometry, the I-Cl bonds have stayed in the three terminals and two lone pairs of electrons on the iodine atom of the trigonal bipyramidal molecule.
The center iodine atom of ICl3 has two lone pairs of electrons, resulting in trigonal bipyramidal ICl3 electron geometry. However, the molecular geometry of ICl3 looks distorted T-shaped and two lone pairs of electrons on the iodine of the ICl3 geometry. It’s the ICl3 molecule’s symmetrical geometry. As a result, the ICl3 molecule is polar.
How to find ICl3 hybridization and molecular geometry
Calculating lone pairs of electrons on iodine in the ICl3 geometry:
1.Determine the number of lone pairs of electrons in the core iodine atom of the ICl3 Lewis structure. Because the lone pairs of electrons on the iodine atom are mostly responsible for the ICl3 molecule geometry distortion, we need to calculate out how many there are on the central iodine atom of the ICl3 Lewis structure.
Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the iodine atom of the ICl3 molecule.
L.P(I) = V.E(I) – N.A(I-Cl)/2
Lone pair on the central iodine atom = L.P(I)The core central iodine atom’s valence electron = V.E(I)
Number of I-Cl bonds = N.A (I-Cl)
calculation for iodine atom lone pair in ICl3 molecule.
For instance of ICl3, the central atom, iodine, has seven electrons in its outermost valence shell, three I-Cl bond connections. This gives a total of three connections.
As a result of this, L.P(I) = (7 –3)/2=2
The lone pairs of electrons in the iodine atom of the ICl3 molecule are two.
Calculating lone pairs of electrons on chlorine in the ICl3 geometry:
Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the chlorine atom of the ICl3 molecule.
L.P(F) = V.E(F) – N.A(I-Cl)
Lone pair on the terminal chlorine atom = L.P(F)Terminal chlorine atom’s valence electron = V.E(F)
Number of I-Cl bonds = N.A ( I-Cl)
calculation for chlorine atom lone pair in ICl3 molecule.
For instance of ICl3, three terminal atoms, chlorine, have seven electrons in its outermost valence shell, one I-Cl bond connection. This gives a total of three I-Cl bond connections. But we are considering only one connection for the calculation.
As a result of this, L.P(I) = (7 –1)=6
The lone pairs of electrons in the chlorine atom of the ICl3 molecule are six. Three chlorine atoms are connected with the central iodine atom.
In the ICl3 electron geometry structure, the lone pair on the central iodine atom is two. lone pairs of electrons in the chlorine atom have six. Three chlorine atoms have 18 lone pairs of electrons.
It means there are two lone pairs of electrons in the core iodine atom. Two lone pair of electrons on the central iodine atom is responsible for the trigonal bipyramidal nature of ICl3 molecular geometry. But in the structure chlorine atoms are polarised sidewise in their geometry.
The two lone pairs of electrons are placed at another side of the ICl3 geometry. Because the iodine atom is a lower electronegative value as compared with other atoms in the ICl3 molecule. Three chlorine atoms are polarized towards the sidewise in the ICl3 structure.
But in reality, the ICl3 has two lone pairs of electrons in its structure. This makes the ICl3 more irregular structure of the molecule. Because there is electric repulsion between bond pairs and lone pairs. But some sort of interaction is there between chlorine lone pairs and bond pairs. But it is negligible.
Calculate the number of molecular hybridizations of the ICl3 molecule
What is ICl3 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
ICl3 molecule is made of one iodine, three chlorine atoms. The chlorine and iodine atoms have s and p orbitals. Chlorine comes as the second element from the halogen family in the periodic table. The iodine atom also belongs to the same family group. But it falls as the fourth element in the periodic table.
When these atoms combine to form the ICl3 molecule, its atomic orbitals mixed and form unique molecular orbitals due to hybridization.
How do you find the ICl3 molecule’s hybridization? We must now determine the molecular hybridization number of ICl3.
The formula of ICl3 molecular hybridization is as follows:
No. Hyb of ICl3= N.A(I-Cl bonds) + L.P(I)
No. Hy of ICl3= the number of hybridizations of ICl3
Number of I-Cl bonds = N.A (I-Cl bonds)
Lone pair on the central iodine atom = L.P(I)
Calculation for hybridization number for ICl3 molecule
In the ICl3 molecule, iodine is a core central atom with three chlorine atoms connected to it. It has two lone pairs of electrons on iodine. The number of ICl3 hybridizations (No. Hyb of ICl3) can then be estimated using the formula below.
No. Hyb of ICl3= 3+2 =5
The ICl3 molecule hybridization is five. The iodine and chlorine atoms have s and p orbitals. The sp3d hybridization of the ICl3 molecule is formed when one S orbital, three p orbitals, and one d orbital join together to form the ICl3 molecular orbital.
Molecular Geometry Notation for ICl3 Molecule :
Determine the form of ICl3 molecular geometry using VSEPR theory. The AXN technique is commonly used when the VSEPR theory is used to calculate the shape of the ICl3 molecule.
The AXN notation of ICl3 molecule is as follows:
The central iodine atom in the ICl3 molecule is denoted by the letter A.
The bound pairs (three I-Cl bonds) of electrons to the core iodine atom are represented by X.
The lone pairs of electrons on the central iodine atom are denoted by the letter N.
Notation for ICl3 molecular geometry
We know that iodine is the core atom, with three electron pairs bound (three I-Cl) and two lone pairs of electrons. The general molecular geometry formula for ICl3 is AX3N2.
According to the VSEPR theory, if the ICl3 molecule has an AX3N2 generic formula, the molecular geometry and electron geometry will both trigonal bipyramidal forms.
Name of Molecule | Iodine trichloride |
Chemical molecular formula | ICl3 |
Molecular geometry of ICl3 | Trigonal bipyramidal |
Electron geometry of ICl3 | Trigonal bipyramidal |
Hybridization of ICl3 | sp3d |
Bond angle (Cl-I-Cl) | slightly smaller than 90 degree |
Total Valence electron for ICl3 | 28 |
The formal charge of ICl3 on iodine | 0 |
Summary:
In this post, we discussed the method to construct ICl3 molecular geometry, the method to find the lone pairs of electrons in the central iodine atom, ICl3 hybridization, and ICl3 molecular notation. Need to remember that, if you follow the above-said method, you can construct the ICl3 molecular structure very easily.
What is ICl3 Molecular geometry?
ICl3 Molecular geometry is electronic structural representation of molecule.
What is the molecular notation for ICl3 molecule?
ICl3 molecular notation is AX3N2.
The polarity of the molecules
The polarity of the molecules are listed as follows
- Polarity of BeCl2
- Polarity of SF4
- Polarity of CH2Cl2
- Polarity of NH3
- Polarity of XeF4
- Polarity of BF3
- Polarity of NH4+
- Polarity of CHCl3
- Polarity of BrF3
- Polarity of BrF5
- Polarity of SO3
- Polarity of SCl2
- Polarity of PCl3
- Polarity of H2S
- polarity of CS2
- Polarity of NO2+
- Polarity of HBr
- Polarity of HCl
- Polarity of CH3F
- Polarity of SO2
- Polarity of CH4
Lewis Structure and Molecular Geometry
Lewis structure and molecular geometry of molecules are listed below
- CH4 Lewis structure and CH4 Molecular geometry
- BeCl2 Lewis Structure and BeCl2 Molecular geometry
- SF4 Lewis Structure and SF4 Molecular geometry
- CH2Cl2 Lewis Structure and CH2Cl2 Molecular geometry
- NH3 Lewis Structure and NH3 Molecular geometry
- XeF4 Lewis Structure and XeF4 Molecular geometry
- BF3 Lewis Structure and BF3 Molecular geometry
- NH4+ Lewis Structure and NH4+ Molecular geometry
- CHCl3 Lewis Structure and CHCl3 Molecular geometry
- BrF3 Lewis Structure and BrF3 Molecular geometry
- BrF5 Lewis Structure and BrF5 Molecular geometry
- SO3 Lewis Structure and SO3 Molecular geometry
- SCl2 Lewis structure and SCl2 Molecular Geometry
- PCl3 Lewis structure and PCl3 Molecular Geometry
- H2S Lewis structure and H2S Molecular Geometry
- NO2+ Lewis structure and NO2+ Molecular Geometry
- HBr Lewis structure and HBr Molecular Geometry
- CS2 Lewis structure and CS2 Molecular Geometry
- CH3F Lewis structure and CH3F Molecular Geometry
- SO2 Lewis structure and SO2 Molecular Geometry
- HCl Lewis structure and HCl Molecular Geometry
- HF Lewis structure and HF Molecular Geometry
- HI Lewis structure and HI Molecular Geometry
- CO2 Lewis structure and CO2 Molecular Geometry
- SF2 Lewis structure and SF2 Molecular Geometry
- SBr2 Lewis structure and SBr2 Molecular Geometry
- PF3 Lewis structure and PF3 Molecular Geometry
- PBr3 Lewis structure and PBr3 Molecular Geometry
- CH3Cl Lewis structure and CH3Cl Molecular Geometry
- CH3Br Lewis structure and CH3Br Molecular Geometry
- CH3I Lewis structure and CH3I Molecular Geometry
- SCl4 Lewis structure and SCl4 Molecular Geometry
- SBr4 Lewis structure and SBr4 Molecular Geometry
- CH2F2 Lewis structure and CH2F2 Molecular Geometry
- CH2Br2 Lewis structure and CH2Br2 Molecular Geometry
- XeCl4 Lewis structure and XeCl4 Molecular Geometry
- BCl3 Lewis structure and BCl3 Molecular Geometry
- BBr3 Lewis structure and BBr3 Molecular Geometry
- CHF3 Lewis structure and CHF3 Molecular Geometry
- CHBr3 Lewis structure and CHBr3 Molecular Geometry
- ClF3 Lewis structure and ClF3 Molecular Geometry
- IF3 Lewis structure and IF3 Molecular Geometry