A common form of elemental phosphorus is the tetrahedral
Chapter 5, Problem 110IE(choose chapter or problem)
A common form of elemental phosphorus is the tetrahedral P4 molecule, where all four phosphorus atoms are equivalent:
At room temperature phosphorus is a solid. (a) Do you think there are any unshared pairs of electrons in the P4 molecule? (b) How many P -- P bonds are there in the molecule? (c) Can you draw a Lewis structure for a linear P4 molecule that satisfies the octet rule? (d) Using formal charges, what can you say about the stability of the linear molecule versus that of the tetrahedral molecule?
Unfortunately, we don't have that question answered yet. But you can get it answered in just 5 hours by Logging in or Becoming a subscriber.
Becoming a subscriber
Or look for another answer