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Question:

Draw the structures of the following molecules: (i) XeF6 (ii) H2S2O7

Solution:

i.
XeF6 has 7 electron pairs around the central Xe atom (6 from F and 1 lone pair). The geometry would be distorted octahedral due to the presence of one lone pair. The structure is a pentagonal bipyramid where the lone pair occupies an equatorial position to minimize repulsions.

[Diagram showing XeF6 as a pentagonal bipyramid with 5 F atoms in a pentagonal plane and one F atom above the plane, and a lone pair indicated below the plane]

ii.
H2S2O7 (disulfuric acid or pyrosulfuric acid) has two tetrahedral SO3 units sharing one oxygen atom. Each sulfur atom is bonded to two oxygen atoms by double bonds and one oxygen atom by a single bond. The S-O-S linkage is bent.

[Diagram showing H2S2O7 with two tetrahedral SO3 units joined through one shared oxygen atom. Each S atom has two double bonds to O atoms and one single bond to an O atom, and one single bond to an O atom bridging the two S atoms. The two H atoms are each bonded to an O atom on the terminal SO3 units.]