What is the electronic geometry and bond angles for SF6?

For sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), the central sulfur atom is surrounded by six fluorine atoms. To determine the electronic geometry, we start by recognizing that sulfur can expand its valence shell, accommodating more than the typical eight electrons due to its position in the third period of the periodic table.

In SF6, the sulfur atom forms six equivalent bonds with the six fluorine atoms, resulting in six bonding pairs of electrons. This distribution can be best described by the octahedral electronic geometry. In an octahedral arrangement, the bond angles between adjacent bonds are 90 degrees, while the bond angles between opposite bonds are 180 degrees.

This geometric arrangement allows all fluorine atoms to be positioned as far apart from each other as possible, minimizing electron pair repulsion according to Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory. Therefore, the correct electronic geometry for SF6 is octahedral, and the bond angles are indeed 90° between adjacent fluorine atoms and 180° between opposite fluorine atoms.