Among the following electron-deficient compound is:
(a) BCl3
(b) CCl4
(c) PCl3
(d) PCl5
Correct answer: (a) BCl3
Solution
BCl3 is an electron-deficient compound because boron has only six electrons in its valence shell after forming three covalent bonds, making it short of the octet. The other compounds have complete octets or expanded octets.