A covalent molecule of a p-block element contains a central atom bonded to four identical monovalent atoms. If the molecular geometry of the species is strictly square planar, what is the hybridization of the central atom and the number of lone pairs present on it, respectively?

Step-by-step solution

For a p-block element, a square planar molecular geometry with four bonded atoms arises when the central atom has 4 bond pairs and 2 lone pairs. The total number of electron pairs (steric number) is 4 + 2 = 6 . A steric number of 6 corresponds to an octahedral electron geometry and sp^3d^2 hybridization. To minimize lone pair-lone pair repulsions, the two lone pairs occupy opposite (axial) positions, resulting in a square planar molecular shape (e.g., XeF ₄ ). The dsp^2 hybridization is typically observed in d-bloc