When drawing a Lewis structure for a covalent compound, you need to know the total number of valence electrons for the compound. How many valence electrons are there for Cl2CO?
A. 17
B. 24
C. 28
D. 32
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is C. 28 valence electrons.
Explanation:
To determine the total number of valence electrons in a molecule, we need to look at the electron configuration of each atom in the molecule and count the number of electrons in their outermost energy levels (valence electrons).
The molecule in question is Cl₂CO, which consists of two chlorine (Cl) atoms, one carbon (C) atom, and one oxygen (O) atom. Here’s the step-by-step breakdown:
- Chlorine (Cl): Chlorine is in Group 17 (also known as halogens) of the periodic table. Elements in this group have 7 valence electrons. Since there are two chlorine atoms in the molecule, the total number of valence electrons from chlorine is: 7 electrons/Cl×2 Cl atoms=14 valence electrons from Cl.7 \, \text{electrons/Cl} \times 2 \, \text{Cl atoms} = 14 \, \text{valence electrons from Cl}.
- Carbon (C): Carbon is in Group 14 of the periodic table and has 4 valence electrons. Since there is one carbon atom in the molecule, it contributes: 4 valence electrons from C.4 \, \text{valence electrons from C}.
- Oxygen (O): Oxygen is in Group 16 and has 6 valence electrons. With one oxygen atom, it contributes: 6 valence electrons from O.6 \, \text{valence electrons from O}.
Now, let’s sum up all the valence electrons: 14 (from Cl)+4 (from C)+6 (from O)=28 valence electrons.14 \, \text{(from Cl)} + 4 \, \text{(from C)} + 6 \, \text{(from O)} = 28 \, \text{valence electrons}.
Conclusion:
Thus, the total number of valence electrons in the Cl₂CO molecule is 28. This is the number of electrons you’ll use when drawing the Lewis structure for the compound. The correct answer is C. 28.