Linear Shape

[Netpheel Wang 4L]

Is it possible to have linear shape and also have lone pair electrons on the central atom?

[Rosha Mamita 2H]

Yes, though the shape will be different and would not be called linear

[Jim Brown 14B Lec1]

Yes, a trigonal bipyramidal electron geometry with 3 lone pairs will give you a linear shape with 180º angles

[Rosha Mamita 2H]

This structure is called bent and the lone pair on the central atom repels the electrons away from the central atom, I'm not sure if we will go over this in class but we learned about this structure in high school and AP chemistry

[Jim Brown 14B Lec1]

Yes, though the shape will be different and would not be called linear

This is true for most electron geometries and will result in a bent shape, but you can still get a linear shape when there are 5 areas of electron density and 3 of them are lone pairs

[Brian Chhoy 4I]

Yes, for example for if a central atom with 5 regions of electron density has 3 lone pairs, it will have a linear shape. The same can be said for a central atom with 6 regions of electron density that has 4 lone pairs.