Total no. of vacant orbitals in valence shell of sulphur when it undergoes formation of `SF_(4)` :-

Options

A. 5
B. 4
C. 3
D. 2

Answer

To determine the total number of vacant orbitals in the valence shell of sulfur when it forms SF₄, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Determine the Electronic Configuration of Sulfur
Sulfur has an atomic number of 16. Its electronic configuration is:
- 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴

### Step 2: Identify the Valence Electrons
The valence shell of sulfur corresponds to the 3rd energy level, which includes:
- 3s: 2 electrons
- 3p: 4 electrons

Thus, the total number of valence electrons in sulfur is:
- 2 (from 3s) + 4 (from 3p) = 6 valence electrons.

### Step 3: Consider the Hybridization
When sulfur forms SF₄, it undergoes hybridization. The hybridization involved here is sp³d. This means that sulfur will utilize:
- 1 s orbital
- 3 p orbitals
- 1 d orbital

### Step 4: Count the Orbitals in the Hybridization
In sp³d hybridization, the orbitals involved are:
- 1 (from 3s) + 3 (from 3p) + 1 (from 3d) = 5 hybrid orbitals.

### Step 5: Determine the Number of Vacant Orbitals
In the case of SF₄:
- Sulfur uses 4 of the hybrid orbitals to form bonds with 4 fluorine atoms.
- This leaves 1 hybrid orbital vacant.

However, since we also consider the d orbitals:
- The 3d orbital has 4 vacant orbitals (as it is not involved in bonding).

### Conclusion
Thus, the total number of vacant orbitals in the valence shell of sulfur when it forms SF₄ is:
- 4 (from 3d) + 1 (from sp³d hybridization) = 5 vacant orbitals.

### Final Answer
The total number of vacant orbitals in the valence shell of sulfur when it forms SF₄ is **4**.

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