JEE Main 2023 — Chemical Bonding And Molecular Structure Question with Solution
From: JEE Main 2023 (Online) 13th April Evening Shift
Question
Given below are two statements :
Statement I : and both possess V-shaped structure.
Statement II : The bond angle of is less than that of .
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Choose an option
Show full solutionCorrect option: C
Step-by-step explanation
Statement I: Both SO₂ and H₂O have a V-shaped (or bent) molecular structure. SO₂ has a central sulfur atom with two oxygen atoms and one lone pair, while H₂O has a central oxygen atom with two hydrogen atoms and two lone pairs. In both cases, the repulsion between the lone pairs and the bonded electron pairs leads to a V-shaped structure.
Statement II: The bond angle in H₂O is approximately 104.5° due to the tetrahedral arrangement of electron pairs (including the lone pairs) around the central oxygen atom. In SO₂, the bond angle is approximately 119°. The presence of a lone pair and the double bonds in SO₂ results in a different electron distribution, leading to a larger bond angle compared to H₂O.
Practice this on the real CBT interface
Solve this JEE Main question (and the rest of the Chemical Bonding And Molecular Structure chapter) on PrepSharp's TCS iON-style CBT player — with timer, bookmarks and session analytics.
Solve interactively →About this question
This is a previous-year question from JEE Main 2023, covering the Chemical Bonding And Molecular Structure chapter of Chemistry. PrepSharp catalogues every PYQ from JEE Main with a verified answer key and step-by-step solution prepared by IIT alumni — so you can search by chapter, topic or year and revise efficiently.