electronic dot formula for C4H10
To determine the electronic dot formula for C4H10 (butane), we need to know the Lewis structure, which represents the arrangement of atoms and valence electrons in a molecule.
Here's the step-by-step process to determine the electronic dot formula for C4H10:
1. Determine the total number of valence electrons for the molecule:
- Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons.
- Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron.
- For butane (C4H10), there are four carbon atoms, so 4 × 4 = 16 valence electrons from carbon atoms.
- There are ten hydrogen atoms, so 10 × 1 = 10 valence electrons from hydrogen atoms.
- The total valence electrons for C4H10 are 16 + 10 = 26 valence electrons.
2. Identify the central atom:
- In butane (C4H10), carbon (C) is the central atom since it can form multiple bonds.
3. Connect the atoms using single bonds:
- Place the carbon atoms in the center and connect them using single bonds.
- Each carbon atom should be bonded to three other carbon atoms.
4. Distribute the remaining valence electrons:
- Subtract the number of valence electrons used for bonding from the total number of valence electrons (26).
- In butane (C4H10), each carbon atom is bonded to three other carbon atoms (3 single bonds), which accounts for 4 × 3 × 2 = 24 electrons.
- Subtracting 24 from 26 leaves 26 - 24 = 2 valence electrons remaining.
5. Add lone pairs to satisfy the octet rule:
- The remaining two valence electrons can be placed on any of the carbon atoms or on the hydrogen atoms as lone pairs.
- It is generally preferable to place lone pairs on the more electronegative atoms (carbon atoms in this case) rather than on hydrogen.
- One possible arrangement is to place one lone pair on each of the two outer carbon atoms.
The resulting electronic dot formula for C4H10 (butane) can be represented as follows:
H H H H
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C - C - C - C
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H H