How did Oliver create the necessary activation energy to start this reaction?

The correct answer is polar, tetrahedral and non-polar.

Explanation:

We are given silicon tetrahydride having formula

The electronegativities of silicon and hydrogen is 1.9 and 2.1 respectively.

The difference in electronegativity is = 2.1 - 1.9 = 0.2

As, there is some difference in the electronegativities of the atoms, therefore, the bond polarity of this molecule is polar. if it would have been 0, then the bond polarity of the molecule is considered as non-polar.

To determine the molecular shape of this molecule, we calculate the hybridization of this molecule. The equation used for this is:

where,

V = number of valence electrons present in central atom i.e. Silicon = 4

N = number of monovalent atoms bonded to central atom = 4

C = charge of cation = 0

A = charge of anion = 0

Putting values in above equation, we get:

As, the number of electrons is 4 which means that the hybridization will be and the molecular shape of the molecule will be tetrahedral.

The net dipole moment of the molecule becomes 0 due to the symmetry of the molecule. Therefore, the molecule is considered as a non-polar molecule.

Hence, the correct answer is polar, tetrahedral and non-polar.