JEE Advanced Chemistry question

White phosphorus (P4) has

(A)P − P − P angle of 60°Correct
(B)Six P − P single bondCorrect
(C)Four P − P single bond
(D)Four lone pairs of electronsCorrect

Answer: (A),(B),(D)

Solution

White phosphorus exists as a discrete P4 tetrahedron, with a phosphorus atom at each of the four corners. Each P atom is bonded to the other three, giving a total of 6 edges/P–P single bonds (C(4,2) = 6), confirming (b) and ruling out (c)'s claim of only four bonds. Because each P atom uses only 3 of its valence

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Question ID VK-159278