Sulfur tetrafluoride, SF4, is an industrially important intermediate for the synthesis of fluorinated organosulfur compounds. In the gas phase it behaves as a discrete molecule.
Answer the following questions about the structure and properties of SF4.
(a) Draw a valid Lewis electron-dot diagram for SF4 including all lone pairs.
(b) Identify the electron-pair geometry about the sulfur atom and specify the hybridization of sulfur orbitals that is consistent with this geometry.
(c) Explain, in terms of electron-pair repulsions, whether the lone pair on sulfur occupies an axial position or an equatorial position in the three-dimensional arrangement of the molecule.
(d) The measured dipole moment of SF4 is 0.63 D. Based on your answer to part (c), justify whether the molecular geometry you predicted is consistent with the observed dipole moment.