What is the molecular geometry, or shape, of beryllium chloride (BeCl2) ?

A.

tetrahedral

B.

linear

C.

trigonal pyramid

D.

bent

B. linear

(plato users)

linear

Explanation:

The shape of BCl₂ is linear. The central Be atom has 2 valance electron and so Be has coordination number of 2. In the Be-Cl covalent bond a pair of electron is shared by the Be and the Cl atoms. The bond angle in BeCl₂ is 180°. To account for the bond angle it has been proposed that Be has sp hybridization and each of the two sp hybrid orbital of Be overlaps with the p orbitals of Cl.