Chapter 4 - Additional Exercises - Page 197g: 91

See the explanation

To answer this question, we need to refer back to the formal charge exercises 99 and 100 from Chapter 3. In Exercise 99, the Lewis structure was obtained for the molecule XeF4. The formal charge analysis for this molecule would suggest that the most stable molecular structure is a square planar geometry, with the Xe atom at the center and the four F atoms arranged in a square planar arrangement around it. In Exercise 100, the Lewis structure was obtained for the molecule XeF2. The formal charge analysis for this molecule would suggest that the most stable molecular structure is a linear geometry, with the Xe atom at the center and the two F atoms arranged in a linear fashion on either side of the Xe atom. Therefore, the predictions for the molecular structures based on the Lewis structures obtained in Exercises 99 and 100 would be different. The prediction for the XeF4 molecule would be a square planar geometry, while the prediction for the XeF2 molecule would be a linear geometry.