MOLECULAR POLARITYFIELD NOTE 14 / 175
Is BrF5 polar or nonpolar?
BrF5 is polar because one axial Br–F bond is not balanced by an opposite fluorine in its square pyramid.
Bromine Pentafluoride · square pyramidal
The molecule in space
Drag to turn the molecule. Show angles to read the model geometry.
01 / MODEL RECORDIllustrative geometry. Atom sizes and bond thickness are illustrative.How model data is used ↗
Why BrF5 is polar
Bromine makes five bonds to fluorine and keeps one lone pair in the conventional VSEPR model. Four fluorines form a roughly square base, while the fifth points above it; that axial direction leaves a net dipole.
What to notice
BrF5 is not square planar like XeF4. Four basal Br–F bonds can balance sideways, but the fifth fluorine makes the whole molecule polar.
Common questions about BrF5
- 01
What does the Lewis structure of BrF5 show?
Br forms five Br–F single bonds and keeps one lone pair. Each fluorine has three lone pairs.
- 02
What is the molecular geometry of BrF5?
BrF5 has a square pyramidal molecular geometry. The 3D model shows representative bond angles of 180° and 90°. These are angles in the illustrative model, not experimental measurements.
- 03
What is the molar mass of BrF5?
BrF5 has an approximate molar mass of 174.89 g/mol, calculated from its formula using abridged standard atomic weights. Natural isotope variation can change the last digits.