Lewis structure of PF5

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The Lewis structure of PF₅ contains five single bonds, with phosphorus in the center, and five fluorines on either side. There are three lone pairs on each fluorine atom, and the phosphorus atom does not have any lone pair.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of PF₅:

#1 Draw skeleton
#2 Show chemical bond
#3 Mark lone pairs
#4 Calculate formal charge and check stability (if octet is already completed on central atom)

Let’s one by one discuss each step in detail.

#1 Draw skeleton

In this step, first calculate the total number of valence electrons. And then, decide the central atom.

• Let’s calculate the total number of valence electrons

We know that… phosphorus is a group 15 element and fluorine is a group 17 element. Hence, phosphorus has five valence electrons and fluorine has seven valence electrons.

Now PF₅ has one phosphorus atom and five fluorine atoms.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of phosphorus atom + (valence electrons of fluorine atom × 5)

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 5 + 35 = 40

• Now decide the central atom

The atom with the least electronegative value is placed at the center. By looking at the periodic table, we get the electronegativity values for phosphorus and fluorine as follows:

Electronegativity value of phosphorus = 2.19
Electronegativity value of fluorine = 3.98

Obviously, phosphorus is less electronegative than fluorine. Hence, assume that phosphorus is the central atom.

So now, put phosphorus in the center and fluorines on either side. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of PF₅ something like this:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of BeF₂ (4 steps)

#2 Show chemical bond

Place two electrons between the atoms to show a chemical bond. Since phosphorus is surrounded by five fluorines, use ten electrons to show five chemical bonds as follows:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of SCN^– (5 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 40 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used ten valence electrons. Hence, thirty valence electrons are remaining.

Two valence electrons represent one lone pair. So thirty valence electrons = fifteen lone pairs.

Note that phosphorus is a period 3 element, so it can keep more than 8 electrons in its last shell. And fluorine is a period 2 element, so it can not keep more than 8 electrons in its last shell.

Also, make sure that you start marking these lone pairs on outside atoms first. And then, on the central atom.

The outside atoms are fluorines, so each fluorine will get three lone pairs. And the central atom (phosphorus) will not get any lone pair, because all fifteen lone pairs are used.

So the Lewis structure of PF₅ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (phosphorus), and also on the outside atoms. Therefore, the octet rule is satisfied.

After completing the octet, one last thing we need to do is, calculate the formal charge and check the stability of the above structure.

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of HNO₃ (5 steps)

#4 Calculate formal charge and check stability

The following formula is used to calculate the formal charges on atoms:

Formal charge = valence electrons – nonbonding electrons – ½ bonding electrons

Collect the data from the above structure and then, write it down below as follows:

• For phosphorus atom

Valence electrons = 5
Nonbonding electrons = 0
Bonding electrons = 10

Formal charge = 5 – 0 – ½ (10) = 0

• For each fluorine atom

Valence electrons = 7
Nonbonding electrons = 6
Bonding electrons = 2

Formal charge = 7 – 6 – ½ (2) = 0

Mention the formal charges of atoms on the structure. So the Lewis structure of PF₅ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the formal charges of both (phosphorus and fluorine) are zero. Therefore, this is the stable Lewis structure of PF₅.

And each horizontal line drawn in the above structure represents a pair of bonding valence electrons.

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Related

• Lewis structure of BeF₂
• Lewis structure of SCN^–
• Lewis structure of HNO₃
• Lewis structure of CH₃NH₂
• Lewis structure of CH₃Cl

External video

• PF5 Lewis Structure – How to Draw the Lewis Structure for PF5 (Phosphorus Pentafluoride) – YouTube • Wayne Breslyn

External links

• Chemical Bonding: PF5 Lewis Structure – The Geoexchange
• PF5 Lewis structure, Molecular Geometry, Bond angle and Shape – Geometry of Molecules
• PF5 lewis structure, molecular geometry, bond angle, hybridization – Topblogtenz
• PF5 Lewis Structure in 5 Steps (With Images) – Pediabay
• PF5 Lewis Structure, Geometry – Kemicalinfo
• PF5 Lewis Structure (Phosphorus Pentafluoride) – Pinterest
• Draw the Lewis dot structure for PF5 – Homework.Study.com
• Phosphorus Pentafluoride, PF5 Molecular Geometry & Polarity – Tutor-Homework.com
• What is the structure of PF5, and how can we explain its geometry? – Quora
• Draw a Lewis structure for PF5 – Chegg
• What is the Lewis dot structure for PF5 – Brainly
• Draw a Lewis structure for PF5 – OneClass
• Draw a Lewis structure for PF5 – Bartleby