Question

The species, having bond angles of 120° is ______.

Options

• PH₃

• CIF₃

• NCl₃

• BCl₃

Answer 1

The species, having bond angles of 120° is BCl₃.

Explanation:

The species BCl₃ has a trigonal planar structure where the boron atom is sp² hybridized. This results in three bonding pairs arranged at 120° angles to each other, giving the bond angles of 120°. The other species have different geometries or lone pairs that reduce the bond angle from 120°. For example, PH₃ and NCl₃ have lone pairs that cause bond angles less than 109°, and ClF₃ has a T-shaped geometry with bond angles less than 120°.