The number of species from the following that carry exactly TWO lone pairs of electrons on the central atom is I ₃^-, ICl ₄^-, IF ₅, IO ₃^-, ICl ₂^+, ClF ₃, SF ₆, XeF ₄

Step-by-step solution

For each species, the number of lone pairs (lp) on the central atom is calculated as: lp = Valence electrons charge - electrons shared in bonding 2 I ₃^- : Central I has 7 valence electrons. Adding 1 for the negative charge gives 8. It forms 2 single bonds with other I atoms. lp = 8 - 2 2 = 3 ICl ₄^- : Central I has 7 + 1 = 8 valence electrons. It forms 4 single bonds. lp = 8 - 4 2 = 2 IF ₅ : Central I has 7 valence electrons. It forms 5 single bonds. lp = 7 - 5 2 = 1 IO ₃^- : Central I has 7 + 1 = 8 valence electr