What is the angle between the carbon-chlorine bonds in the phosgene (COCL2) molecule
Phosgene (chemical formula COCl2) consists of a central carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and single-bonded to two chlorine atoms. The structure of phosgene is based on trigonal planar geometry with respect to the carbon atom, due to the sp2 hybridization of the carbon atom's orbitals.
In trigonal planar geometry, the bond angles between the substituents around the central atom (in this case, the carbon atom) are 120 degrees. Therefore, the angle between the carbon-chlorine (C-Cl) bonds in the phosgene molecule is 120 degrees. Similarly, the angle between the carbon-oxygen (C=O) double bond and each of the carbon-chlorine (C-Cl) single bonds is also 120 degrees.