Chlorate

In chemistry, a trigonal pyramid is a molecular geometry with one atom at the apex and three atoms at the corners of a trigonal base, resembling a tetrahedron (not to be confused with the tetrahedral geometry). When all three atoms at the corners are identical, the molecule belongs to point group C_3v. Some molecules and ions with trigonal pyramidal geometry are the pnictogen hydrides (XH₃), xenon trioxide (XeO₃), the chlorate ion, ClO
₃, and the sulfite ion, SO
₃. In organic chemistry, molecules which have a trigonal pyramidal geometry are sometimes described as sp hybridized. The AXE method for VSEPR theory states that the classification is AX₃E₁.