Use what you know about valence structure to predict how chlorine will bond with Silicon.
E.C. What shape do you predict this molecule will take? Draw this molecule.
Based on valence structure, we know that chlorine has seven valence electrons and Silicon has four valence electrons. Chlorine needs one more electron to complete its octet, while Silicon needs four more electrons to complete its octet.
To fulfill the octet rule, one chlorine atom can share its lone pair of electrons with the Silicon atom. This will form a single covalent bond between the two atoms. After bonding, chlorine will have a complete octet with eight electrons, and Silicon will also have a complete octet with eight electrons.
The resulting molecule is called silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4). Silicon is located in the center, with four chlorine atoms surrounding it. Each chlorine atom is connected to the silicon atom through a single covalent bond.
The molecule will have a tetrahedral shape with the silicon atom in the center and the chlorine atoms positioned at the vertices of a tetrahedron. The bond angles between the silicon-chlorine bonds will be approximately 109.5 degrees.
Here is the Lewis structure for SiCl4:
Cl
|
Cl - Si - Cl
|
Cl