An explanation is given for the difference in lengths of the axial and equatorial bonds in molecules such as PCl5 and ClF3 whose structures are based on the trigonal-bipyramidal arrangement of five valency-shell electron pairs. The fact that in molecules with a central atom with a valency shell...
Axial bonds are the bonds that form an 90∘ angle with the ring plane whereas equatorial bonds are the bonds that only makea small angle withthe plane. When a corner is pointing up, the axial bonds are drawn straight up, and when the corners are pointing down, the axial bonds are dra...
Ab initio calculation of the PCl5 molecule by the Hartree-Fock method with the 6-31G* splitted valence basis set and full geometry optimization shows that the unshared electron pairs of equatorial Cl atoms with the symmetry axes perpendicular to the equatorial plane of the molecule contribute to...