SolutionsLewis Structures
1. Carbon dioxide
Write the Lewis structure of CO2 following the four rules.
- Central atom: carbon, the least electronegative.
- Valence electrons: 4 + 2 × 6 = 16 (8 pairs).
- Bonds between carbon and the two oxygens.
- For all atoms to have eight electrons, two double bonds are formed and each oxygen keeps two unshared pairs: O=C=O.
2. Hydrogen cyanide
Write the Lewis structure of HCN.
Valence electrons: 1 + 4 + 5 = 10 (5 pairs). H–C≡N, with an unshared pair on nitrogen. Carbon and nitrogen have eight electrons, and hydrogen two.