Chemistry Chemical Bonding MDCAT 2019
PMDC Verified Question 68 of 102
Which of the following sets constitutes of all the molecules and ions of non-planar geometry?
A
\( \text{SO}_2, \text{C}_2\text{H}_4, \text{BF}_3, \text{NO}_3^- \)
B
\( \text{CH}_4, \text{NH}_4^+, \text{MnO}_4^-, \text{NF}_3 \)
C
\( \text{CH}_2=\text{CH}_2, \text{H}_2\text{O}, \text{BeCl}_2, \text{H}_2\text{S} \)
D
\( \text{PH}_4^+, \text{NH}_3, \text{SO}_3, \text{Benzene} \)
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option B: \( \text{CH}_4, \text{NH}_4^+, \text{MnO}_4^-, \text{NF}_3 \)
Concept:

Molecules with \( \text{sp}^3 \) or higher hybridization (in 3 dimensions) are generally non-planar, while those with purely \( \text{sp}^2 \) or \( \text{sp} \) hybridization lacking lone pair distortions tend to be planar or linear.

Formula:

$$ \text{sp}^3 \text{ hybridization} \implies \text{Tetrahedral / Pyramidal (3D/Non-planar)} $$

Solution:

  • \( \text{CH}_4 \), \( \text{NH}_4^+ \), and \( \text{MnO}_4^- \) have perfect tetrahedral geometries (non-planar).


  • \( \text{NF}_3 \) has a trigonal pyramidal geometry (non-planar).


  • Thus, every species in this option extends into three dimensions and is strictly non-planar.


Why other options are incorrect:

  • Option A: \( \text{C}_2\text{H}_4 \), \( \text{BF}_3 \), and \( \text{NO}_3^- \) are all strictly planar.
  • Option C: Ethene (\( \text{CH}_2=\text{CH}_2 \)) is planar, and \( \text{BeCl}_2 \) is linear (1D).
  • Option D: \( \text{SO}_3 \) and Benzene are entirely planar molecules.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

Want to solve full-length papers under timed exam conditions?

Practice with zero-scroll lockdown sprints, dynamic latency zone timers, live peer selection telemetry, and the automated Amber mistake recovery loop.