How many lone pairs of electrons are on the central sulfur atom in sulfur tetrafluoride, SF4? 0 3 2 1 4

To determine the number of lone pairs on the central sulfur atom in sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4), we need to follow these steps:

1. Determine the total number of valence electrons. Sulfur has 6 valence electrons and each fluorine atom has 7 valence electrons. Since there are 4 fluorine atoms, the total number of valence electrons is 6 + 4*7 = 34.

2. Draw the Lewis structure. Sulfur is the central atom and is surrounded by the 4 fluorine atoms. Each sulfur-fluorine bond requires 2 electrons, so 8 of the 34 electrons are used in the bonds, leaving 26 electrons.

3. Distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs. Each fluorine atom gets 3 lone pairs (6 electrons), using up 24 of the remaining 26 electrons.

4. The last 2 electrons become a lone pair on the sulfur atom.

So, the central sulfur atom in sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4) has 1 lone pair of electrons.