Question

When drawing the Lewis structure of the H₂CO molecule, how many total valence electrons are represented? The structure should have:

a) Total valence electrons
b) Stable structure
c) Bonds
d) Central atom

Answer 1

In the Lewis structure of H₂CO, there are 12 valence electrons with carbon as the central atom, bonded to two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

Step-by-step explanation:

When drawing the Lewis structure of the H₂CO molecule, the total valence electrons represented are 12. This is because each hydrogen atom contributes 1 valence electron, the carbon atom contributes 4, and the oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons. To create a stable structure, the central atom is carbon, with hydrogen and oxygen as surrounding atoms. The Lewis structure will show bonds between the central carbon atom and both hydrogens and the oxygen to reflect how the electrons are shared in the molecule.