Why does Oxygen8 has 2 lone pairs? Please help
To answer why oxygen has 2 lone pairs, let's first understand the electron configuration of oxygen.
Oxygen (O) has an atomic number of 8, meaning it has 8 protons and 8 electrons in its neutral state. The electron configuration of oxygen is 1s2 2s2 2p4, which indicates that it has two electrons in the first shell (1s), followed by two electrons in the second shell (2s), and four electrons in the third shell (2p).
To achieve a more stable electron configuration (similar to the noble gas configuration of neon), oxygen tends to gain or share two additional electrons. This allows oxygen to fill its outer shell, which consists of 6 electrons.
In a molecule of oxygen (O2), the two oxygen atoms are connected by a double bond, where each atom shares two electrons. This creates a stable connection between the two atoms. However, each oxygen atom still has two remaining electrons that are not involved in bonding. These two electrons are known as lone pairs because they are not shared with any other atom in the molecule.
Overall, oxygen has 2 lone pairs to fulfill the octet rule, which states that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons in order to have a stable electron configuration with 8 electrons in their outermost shell.