In solid beryllium chloride, which has a polymeric chain structure with chloride bridges, the hybridisation of each beryllium atom is

A $s p^{2}$
B $s p^{3}$
C $s p^{3} d$
D $s p$

Answer: B

Each Be is bonded to four Cl atoms (two normal bonds and two dative bonds from bridging chlorine atoms) in a tetrahedral arrangement. Four electron pairs around Be means

s p^{3}

hybridisation; the isolated linear molecule would have been

s p

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