Homework Help Chapter 4 #5

[Nadeen 3D]

(a) What is the shape of the ClO2 + ion? (b) What is the expected OClO bond angle?

When I tried solving this problem, the molecular shape was bent(well the way I drew it), but why was the answer trigonal planar?

[2c_britneyly]

Maybe there's a typo in the answer key/version you have? I have the 7th ed. and it says the answer is bent.

[Carlos Gomez 3H]

The way I answered the problem was that the shape of ClO2 + ion is angular but the electron arrangment is trigonal planar because there is a lone pair on the central atom Cl and this lone pair would make the bond angle slightly less than 120 degrees.