Question

Assign a reason for the following:

Not all bonds in a molecule of PCl₅ are equivalent.

Answer 1

1. PCl₅ has a trigonal bipyramidal structure with two types of positions, axial and equatorial.
2. Axial bonds are longer and weaker, while equatorial bonds are shorter and stronger.
3. This difference arises because axial chlorine atoms experience more repulsion from equatorial chlorine atoms.

Thus, not all \[\ce{P - Cl}\] bonds in PCl₅ are equivalent due to differences in bond length and strength in the two positions.