Structure of `XeO_(2)F_(2)` is correctly represented by

Options

A.
B.
C.
D. Both 2 and 3

Answer

To determine the correct structure of \( \text{XeO}_2\text{F}_2 \), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Determine the Valence Electrons
- **Xenon (Xe)** has 8 valence electrons (as it is a noble gas).
- **Oxygen (O)** has 6 valence electrons, and since there are 2 oxygen atoms, they contribute a total of \( 2 \times 6 = 12 \) electrons.
- **Fluorine (F)** has 7 valence electrons, and since there are 2 fluorine atoms, they contribute a total of \( 2 \times 7 = 14 \) electrons.

**Total valence electrons = 8 (Xe) + 12 (O) + 14 (F) = 34 electrons.**

### Step 2: Determine Bonding and Lone Pairs
- Each oxygen atom will form a double bond with xenon, using 4 electrons (2 electrons per bond).
- Each fluorine atom will form a single bond with xenon, using 2 electrons (1 electron per bond).

**Total electrons used for bonding:**
- 2 double bonds (O) = 4 electrons
- 2 single bonds (F) = 2 electrons

**Total bonding electrons = 4 + 2 = 6 electrons.**

### Step 3: Calculate Remaining Electrons
- Total valence electrons = 34
- Electrons used for bonding = 6
- **Remaining electrons = 34 - 6 = 28 electrons.**

### Step 4: Assign Lone Pairs
- The remaining 28 electrons will be assigned as lone pairs.
- Since each lone pair consists of 2 electrons, we have \( \frac{28}{2} = 14 \) lone pairs.
- However, we need to consider the geometry and the fact that xenon will have a lone pair after forming bonds.

### Step 5: Determine the Geometry
- With 4 bond pairs (2 with oxygen and 2 with fluorine) and 1 lone pair, the molecular geometry is based on 5 regions of electron density.
- The arrangement of 5 regions of electron density corresponds to a trigonal bipyramidal geometry.
- The presence of a lone pair will distort this geometry to a seesaw shape.

### Step 6: Draw the Structure
- The structure can be represented as:
- Xenon (Xe) at the center.
- Two oxygen atoms forming double bonds with xenon.
- Two fluorine atoms forming single bonds with xenon.
- One lone pair on xenon.

### Conclusion
The correct representation of the structure of \( \text{XeO}_2\text{F}_2 \) is a seesaw shape with Xe at the center, two double-bonded oxygens, and two single-bonded fluorines.