XeF4 Molecular Geometry - Science Education and Tutorials

Q: What is the molecular notation for XeF4 molecule?

XeF4 molecular notation is AX4N2.

Drawing and predicting the XeF4 molecular geometry is very easy by following the given method. Here in this post, we described step by step to construct XeF4 molecular geometry. Xenon comes from the noble gas family in the periodic table. Xenon is almost inert chemically at normal temperature and pressure.

Table of Contents

Key Points To Consider When drawing The XeF4 Molecular Geometry

A three-step approach for drawing the XeF4 molecular can be used. The first step is to sketch the molecular geometry of the XeF4 molecule, to calculate the lone pairs of the electron in the central xenon atom; the second step is to calculate the XeF4 hybridization, and the third step is to give perfect notation for the XeF4 molecular geometry.

The XeF4 molecular geometry is a diagram that illustrates the number of valence electrons and bond electron pairs in the XeF4 molecule in a specific geometric manner. The geometry of the XeF4 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 XeF4 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 Xe-F bond (dipole moment properties of the XeF4 molecular geometry). The xenon-fluorine bonds in the xenon tetrafluoride(XeF4), for example, are polarised toward the more electronegative value fluorine atom, and because all (Xe-F) bonds have the same size and polarity, their sum is zero due to the XeF4 molecule’s bond dipole moment due to it oppose to each other in the square planar geometry, and the XeF4 molecule is classified as a polar molecule.

The molecule of xenon tetrafluoride (with square planar shape XeF4 molecular geometry) is tilted at 90 degrees. It has a difference in electronegativity values between xenon and fluorine atoms, with fluorine’s pull the electron cloud being greater than xenon’s. As a result, it has no permanent dipole moment in its molecular structure. The XeF4 molecule has no dipole moment due to an equal charge distribution of negative and positive charges.

Overview: XeF4 electron and molecular geometry

According to the VSEPR theory, XeF4 possesses square planar molecular geometry. Because the center atom, xenon, has three Xe-F bonds with the fluorine atoms surrounding it. The F-Xe-F bond angle is 90 degrees in the square planar molecular geometry. The XeF4 molecule has a square planar geometry shape because it contains four fluorine atoms.

There are four Xe-F bonds at the XeF4 molecular geometry. After linking the four fluorine atoms and two lone pairs of electrons in the square planar form, it maintains the planar-like structure. In the XeF4 molecular geometry, the Xe-F bonds have stayed in the four terminals and two lone pairs of electrons in the top and bottom of the square planar molecule.

The center xenon atom of XeF4 has two lone pairs of electrons, resulting in square planar electron geometry. However, the molecular geometry of XeF4 looks like a square planar and two lone pairs on the top and bottom of the XeF4 geometry. It’s the XeF4 molecule’s symmetrical geometry. As a result, the XeF4 molecule is nonpolar.

How to find XeF4 hybridization and molecular geometry

Calculating lone pairs of electrons on xenon in the XeF4 geometry:

1.Determine the number of lone pairs on the core xenon atom of the XeF4 Lewis structure. Because the lone pairs on xenon are mostly responsible for the XeF4 molecule geometry distortion, we need to calculate out how many there are on the central xenon atom of the Lewis structure.

Use the formula below to find the lone pair on the xenon atom of the XeF4 molecule.
L.P(Xe) = V.E(Xe) – N.A(Xe-F)/2

Lone pair on the central xenon atom = L.P(Xe)
The core central xenon atom’s valence electron = V.E(Xe)
Number of Xe-F bonds = N.A (Xe-F)
calculation for xenon atom lone pair in XeF4 molecule

For instance of XeF4, the central atom, xenon, has five electrons in its outermost valence shell, four Xe-F bond connections.

As a result of this, L.P(Xe) = (8 –4)/2=2

In the XeF4 electron geometry structure, the lone pair on the central xenon atom is two. It means there are two lone pairs of electrons in the core xenon atom. These lone pairs of electrons on the central xenon atom are responsible for the XeF4 molecular geometry distortion.

If you imagine, there is two lone pair on the xenon atom of the XeF4 molecule. Then, electronic repulsion of Xe-F bonds pair and two lone pair of electrons in the XeF4. That gives stable square planar geometry. The lone pairs of electrons are located on the top and bottom of the geometry. It makes a stable square planar structure.

But in reality, the XeF4 molecule undergoes distortion in its geometry due to the polarity of the Xe-F bond and lone pairs of electrons in the square planar geometry. This leads to a square planar for the XeF4 molecule.

Calculate the number of molecular hybridizations of the XeF4 molecule

What is XeF4 hybrizidation? This is a very fundamental question in the field of molecular chemistry. All the molecules made by atoms. In chemistry, atoms are the fundamental particles. There are four different types of orbitals in chemistry. They are named as s, p, d, and f orbitals.

The entire periodic table arrangement are based on these orbital theory. 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

XeF4 molecule is made of one xenon and four fluorine atoms. The xenon atom has s, p, and d orbitals. Fluorine comes as the first element from the halogen family in the periodic table. The fluorine atom has s and p orbitals.

When these atoms combine to form the XeF4 molecule, its atomic orbitals mixed and form unique molecular orbitals due to hybridization.

How do you find the XeF4 molecule’s hybridization? We must now determine the molecular hybridization number of XeF4.

The formula of XeF4 molecular hybridization is as follows:
No. Hyb of XeF4= N.A(Xe-F bonds) + L.P(Xe)
No. Hy of XeF4= the number of hybridizations of XeF4
Number of Xe-F bonds = N.A (Xe-F bonds)
Lone pair on the central xenon atom = L.P(Xe)
Calculation for hybridization number for XeF4 molecule

In the XeF4 molecule, xenon is a core central atom with four fluorine atoms connected to it and two lone pairs of electrons. The number of XeF4 hybridizations (No. Hyb of XeF4) can then be estimated using the formula below.

No. Hyb of XeF4= 4+2 =6

The XeF4 molecule hybridization is six. Xenon atom has s, p, and d orbitals. The fluorine atom has s and p orbital. The sp3d2 hybridization of the XeF4 molecule is formed when one S orbital, three p orbital, and two d orbitals join together to form a molecular orbital.

Molecular Geometry Notation for XeF4 Molecule :

Determine the form of XeF4 molecular geometry using VSEPR theory. The AXN technique is commonly used when the VSEPR theory is used to calculate the shape of the XeF4 molecule.

The AXN notation of XeF4 molecule is as follows:
The center xenon atom in the XeF4 molecule is denoted by the letter A.
The bound pairs (four Xe-F bonds) of electrons to the core xenon atom are represented by X.
The lone pairs of electrons on the central xenon atom are denoted by the letter N.
Notation for XeF4 molecular geometry

We know that xenon is the core atom, with four electron pairs bound (four Xe-F) and two lone pair of electrons. The general molecular geometry formula for XeF4 is AX4N2.

According to the VSEPR theory, if the XeF4 molecule has an AX4N2 generic formula, the molecular geometry and electron geometry will both be square planar forms.

Name of Molecule	Xenon tetrafluoride
Chemical molecular formula	XeF4
Molecular geometry of XeF4	square planar
Electron geometry of XeF4	square planar
Hybridization of XeF4	sp3d2
Bond angle (F-Xe-F)	90º degree
Total Valence electron for XeF4	36
The formal charge of XeF4 on xenon	0

Summary:

In this post, we discussed the method to construct XeF4 molecular geometry, the method to find the lone pairs of electrons in the central xenon atom, XeF4 hybridization, and XeF4 molecular notation. Need to remember that, if you follow the above-said method, you can construct the XeF4 molecular structure very easily.