Halogens react with each other to form a number of compounds called interalogen compounds. Their genral formula is `AX_(n)`, where A is less electronegative halogen while X is a more electronegative halogen and n is its number. The interhalogen compounds are essentially convalent and more reactive than the halogens since the bond A-X is weaker than A-A or X-X bond. The reaction of interhalogens are similar to those of halogens.
How many lone pairs of electrons are present on chlorine in `ClF_(3)` molecule ?

Options

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

Explanation

To determine the number of lone pairs of electrons present on chlorine in the `ClF_(3)` molecule, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Valence Electrons of Chlorine
Chlorine (Cl) is in group 17 of the periodic table and has 7 valence electrons.

### Step 2: Determine the Structure of `ClF_(3)`
In the `ClF_(3)` molecule, chlorine is the central atom and is bonded to three fluorine atoms.

### Step 3: Calculate the Bonding Electrons
Each fluorine atom forms a single bond with chlorine. Since there are three fluorine atoms, this means that chlorine will use 3 of its valence electrons to form bonds.

### Step 4: Calculate Remaining Electrons
Starting with 7 valence electrons, after forming 3 bonds with fluorine, chlorine has:
\[ 7 \text{ (total valence electrons)} - 3 \text{ (bonding electrons)} = 4 \text{ (remaining electrons)} \]

### Step 5: Determine Lone Pairs
The remaining 4 electrons will be in the form of lone pairs. Since each lone pair consists of 2 electrons, we can calculate the number of lone pairs as follows:
\[ \frac{4 \text{ (remaining electrons)}}{2} = 2 \text{ (lone pairs)} \]

### Step 6: Conclusion
Thus, the number of lone pairs of electrons present on chlorine in the `ClF_(3)` molecule is **2**.

### Final Answer
The answer is **2**.

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