What is the molecular geometry of ClF3?

The molecular geometry of ClF3 (chlorine trifluoride) is indeed T-shaped. This can be understood by considering the arrangement of the electron pairs around the central chlorine atom. Chlorine has seven valence electrons, and in ClF3, three of these electrons are used to form bonds with three fluorine atoms. This accounts for three bonding pairs.

However, chlorine also has two lone pairs of electrons that occupy equatorial positions in what is effectively a trigonal bipyramidal electron geometry, according to the VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory. The presence of these lone pairs influences the shape of the molecule.

In the trigonal bipyramidal arrangement, the three fluorine atoms will occupy the positions that minimize electron-pair repulsion, which are the axial positions. The two lone pairs will assume the equatorial positions, leading to a T-shaped molecular geometry when viewed from a particular angle.

This geometry can also be visualized as having three bonded atoms at the points of a “T” and the lone pairs situated in the space above and below the plane that the bonded atoms occupy. Thus, ClF3 demonstrates a T-shaped structure due to the combination of bonding pairs and lone pairs around