Which of the following statements regarding white phosphorus is not correct?
- A) The PPP bond angle is 60
- B) It has four P-P single bonds.
- C) It forms a cage-like structure.
- D) It has four lone pair of electrons. and why ???
The third statement i.e. it forms a cage like structure is incorrect. Hence the correct option is C.
White phosphorous is a discrete P4 unit containing 4 p-p bond, the bond angle of P-P-P is sixty degree, which makes it highly reactive in nature.
In the structure of P4, each Phosphorous contain a lone pair. Therefore in total 4 lone pairs are present in the P4 molecule.