Question

Formaldehyde, CH₂O, is an important precursor to many chemical products, including melamine resin, a thermosetting plastic material. C has 4 valence electrons, H has 1 valence electron, and O has 6 valence electrons. How many total valence electrons does the CH₂O molecule have?

Answer 1

12 total valence electrons

Step-by-step explanation:

Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons, Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron, and Oxygen (O) has 6 valence electrons. There are 2 hydrogens, meaning 2 valence electrons. 4+2+2+6 = 12 valence electrons

Answer 2

12 valence electrons in total for the CH₂O molecule.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the total number of valence electrons in the CH₂O molecule, we need to count the valence electrons of each atom and then sum them up.

Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons.

Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron, and there are two hydrogen atoms in CH₂O, so we have a total of 2 × 1 = 2 valence electrons.

Oxygen (O) has 6 valence electrons.

Adding up the valence electrons of each atom, we get:

4 valence electrons from carbon +

2 valence electrons from hydrogen +

6 valence electrons from oxygen =