Balls and stick structural formula of methane
A ball-and-stick model of methane would consist of a single carbon atom at the center, with four hydrogen atoms attached to it. The ball represents the atoms, while the sticks represent the bonds between them. The structural formula would look like this:
H
|
H - C - H
|
H
The structural formula of methane, CH4, can be represented using balls and stick model as follows:
- Use a ball to represent each atom: In this case, use a ball to represent carbon and four balls to represent hydrogen.
- Connect the balls to represent the bonds between the atoms: Connect the carbon ball to each hydrogen ball using sticks. Methane has four single bonds, so you would connect each of the four hydrogen balls to the carbon ball with a stick.
Visually, the structural formula of methane can be shown as a central carbon atom (represented by a larger ball) surrounded by four hydrogen atoms (represented by smaller balls) connected to the carbon atom with single bonds (represented by sticks).