164k views
1 vote
Using the "nas" idea, how many electrons are "needed" for the compound carbon monoxide, CO?

A. 10
B. 12
C. 14
D. 16

User ARR
by
8.2k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

Carbon monoxide (CO) needs 10 valence electrons in total, with 4 from carbon and 6 from oxygen. A triple bond between carbon and oxygen accounts for 6 of these electrons, and the two lone pairs on oxygen account for the other 4, leading to a total of 10 needed electrons.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the number of electrons "needed" for the compound carbon monoxide, CO, we consider the valence electrons of carbon (C) and oxygen (O). A carbon atom (from group 14) has 4 valence electrons and an oxygen atom (from group 16) has 6 valence electrons. The molecule of CO needs to reach an octet for both carbon and oxygen to be stable. So, we have:

  • 1 C atom = 4 valence electrons
  • 1 O atom = 6 valence electrons
  • Total valence electrons needed = 4 (from C) + 6 (from O) = 10 valence electrons to reach the initial octet state.

However, the carbon and oxygen in CO share a triple bond, and there are two lone pairs of electrons on the oxygen. This means we have a total of:

  • 3 shared pairs (triple bond) x 2 = 6 electrons for bonding
  • 2 lone pairs on oxygen x 2 = 4 non-bonding electrons
  • Total electrons shared or non-bonded in CO = 6 + 4 = 10 electrons

Therefore, the correct answer is A. 10 electrons.

User Bryc
by
9.0k points

Related questions

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.