Concept explainers
Interpretation: The number of atoms bonded to each carbon atom in ethane and geometry around each atom in ethane needs to be determined.
Concept introduction: Hydrocarbon: A compound consisting only of hydrogen and carbon.
Answer to Problem 4A
Carbon is bonded with 3 hydrogen atoms and the geometry is tetrahedral.
Explanation of Solution
The reason so many carbon-containing compounds exist is because carbon forms strong bonds to itself and to many other elements. A carbon atom can form bonds to a maximum of four other atoms; these can be either carbon atoms or atoms of other elements.
The methane molecule consists of a carbon atom with four hydrogen atoms bound to it in a tetrahedral fashion. That is, as predicted by the VSEPR model, the four pairs of bonding electrons around the carbon have minimum repulsions when they are located at the corners of a tetrahedron.
The Lewis structure of ethane is Here the carbon is bonded with three hydrogen atoms and one carbon atom.
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Chapter 20 Solutions
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