Which of the following molecules is linear in shape?
Answer Details
The shape of a molecule is determined by its electronic geometry, which depends on the arrangement of the atoms and the number of electron pairs around the central atom. A molecule is considered linear if it has two atoms and no lone pairs of electrons on the central atom. Based on this definition, the molecule that is linear in shape is CI2 because it has two chlorine atoms and no lone pairs of electrons on the central atom. All the other molecules listed have lone pairs or more than two atoms, which means they are not linear in shape.