Hi Paul,
The exposed pad underneath the PCAL6524HE (HUQFN32) is not internally connected to any pin. It can be left floating, but for better thermal performance it is recommended to connect it to the GND.
The exposed pad outline and the recommended footprint can be found at:
https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/package-information/SOT1426-1.pdf
Best regards,
Tomas