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11 grade chemistry others

Why does the Lewis structure of Xe{{F}_{4}} not follow the octet rule?

Profile image of Aniket Singh
1 Year agoGrade
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1 Answer

Profile image of Askiitians Tutor Team
1 Year ago

The Lewis structure of XeF4 doesn't follow the octet rule because xenon (Xe), as a member of the noble gas family, can expand its valence shell beyond the octet. Xenon has an electron configuration of [Kr]5s²4d¹⁰5p⁶, giving it access to the 4d orbital for bonding. In XeF4, xenon forms four bonds with fluorine atoms, resulting in a total of 8 electrons involved in bonding. However, xenon still has two lone pairs of electrons, totaling 12 electrons around the central xenon atom. This exceeds the octet rule but is possible due to xenon's ability to utilize its empty d orbitals to accommodate additional electrons. This phenomenon is known as "expanded octet."