Number of lone pairs (s) in `XeOF_(4)` is/are

Options

A. `0`
B. `1`
C. `2`
D. `3`

Explanation

To determine the number of lone pairs in the molecule \( \text{XeOF}_4 \), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the central atom and its valence electrons
- The central atom in \( \text{XeOF}_4 \) is xenon (Xe).
- Xenon is a noble gas and has 8 valence electrons.

### Step 2: Determine the bonding requirements
- In \( \text{XeOF}_4 \), xenon forms bonds with one oxygen atom and four fluorine atoms.
- Oxygen typically forms a double bond with xenon, which will use 4 of xenon's valence electrons (2 for the double bond).
- Each fluorine atom forms a single bond with xenon, using 1 electron from xenon for each bond. Therefore, 4 fluorine atoms will use 4 electrons.

### Step 3: Calculate the total number of electrons used for bonding
- Total electrons used for bonding:
- 4 electrons (for the double bond with oxygen) + 4 electrons (one for each of the four fluorine atoms) = 8 electrons.

### Step 4: Determine the remaining electrons
- Since xenon started with 8 valence electrons and used all 8 for bonding, there are no electrons left for lone pairs.

### Step 5: Conclusion
- The number of lone pairs in \( \text{XeOF}_4 \) is 0.

Thus, the final answer is that the number of lone pairs in \( \text{XeOF}_4 \) is **0**.

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