To determine the electron geometry (eg) and molecular geometry (mg) of CO2, let's go through the reasoning step by step:
1. Lewis Structure:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) has one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.
- Carbon has 4 valence electrons, and each oxygen has 6 valence electrons, giving a total of 16 valence electrons.
- The carbon atom forms two double bonds with the two oxygen atoms to satisfy the octet rule.
2. Electron Geometry:
- The electron geometry considers both bonding pairs and lone pairs around the central atom.
- In CO2, the central carbon atom has two regions of electron density (the two double bonds). Each double bond counts as one region of electron density.
- With two regions of electron density, the electron geometry is linear.
3. Molecular Geometry:
- The molecular geometry looks at the shape of the molecule based on the positions of the atoms.
- Since the electron geometry is linear and there are no lone pairs on the central carbon atom affecting the shape, the arrangement of atoms also remains linear.
Therefore, the electron geometry (eg) of CO2 is linear, and the molecular geometry (mg) of CO2 is also linear.
The correct answer is:
eg = linear, mg = linear.
