Question

Explain giving reasons whether BH₄^- and H₃O⁺ will have same or different geometry.

Answer 1

Structure of BH₄^-:

B has 4 bond pairs of electrons.

Structure of H₃O⁺:

O has 3 bond pairs of electrons and 1 lone pair of electrons

Central atom present in both the ions is surrounded by different number of bond pairs of electrons. So, they have the different geometries. BH₄⁻ possesses tetrahedral geometry while H₃O⁺ possesses trigonal bipyramida geometry due to bp-lp repulsion.