Answer: Square planar (2 lone pairs in octahedral arrangement).
- A Square planar (2 lone pairs in octahedral arrangement)
- B Tetrahedral, with xenon using simple sp<sup>3</sup> hybridisation
- C Trigonal pyramidal, with one lone pair occupying an apical site
- D Linear, with the two lone pairs positioned at right angles
Correct answer: A. Square planar (2 lone pairs in octahedral arrangement)
Explanation: XeF<sub>4</sub>: Xe has 4 bonds and 2 lone pairs (sp<sup>3</sup>d<sup>2</sup>), giving square planar geometry with lone pairs in axial positions.
Xenon tetrafluoride (XeF4) has six electron domains around xenon — four Xe–F bonds plus two lone pairs. The lone pairs occupy opposite axial positions, leaving the four fluorine atoms in a square-planar shape (Xe–F ≈ 194 pm). Image: ChemSim, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Concept context
Covers the nitrogen family (Group 15), oxygen family (Group 16), halogens (Group 17), and noble gases (Group 18). One of the highest-weightage inorganic chapters in NEET and JEE - includes preparation and properties of HNO₃, H₂SO₄, interhalogens, and xenon compounds.