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Topic: General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams  (Read 3787 times)

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Offline Nahughes89

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General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams
« on: May 29, 2022, 01:55:27 PM »
In the Lewis diagram of 2-propanol, the two hydrogens to the left and right of the oxygen are bonded to the carbons below them. Why did they bond to the carbons and not the oxygen?

Offline sjb

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Re: General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2022, 02:26:43 PM »
How many bonds can oxygen, carbon and hydrogen form?

Offline Nahughes89

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Re: General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2022, 02:48:10 PM »
Carbon can form 4 bonds, which will use up all of its valence electrons before oxygen will.

Scratch that. With 4 other atoms single bonded to a carbon, it will satisfy the octet rule  before oxygen will.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2022, 03:04:35 PM by Nahughes89 »

Offline Nahughes89

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Re: General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2022, 02:09:35 AM »
Carbon can make 4, hydrogen 1, oxygen 6.

Offline Babcock_Hall

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Re: General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2022, 11:48:21 AM »
Can you explain how oxygen satisfies the octet rule in this instance?
« Last Edit: May 30, 2022, 01:11:43 PM by Babcock_Hall »

Offline Nahughes89

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Re: General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2022, 02:51:59 PM »
It doesn't. That's why I thought the hydrogen bonded to the carbon. Carbon has 4 valence electrons. Allowing the carbon to bond to the hydrogen next to the oxygen results in the carbons octet being fulfilled. 4 electrons shared from the surrounding H's, 4 valence electrons in the carbon, for a total of 8. (Edit- this isn't accurate either. I'm on my phone at the moment and will respond on my pc when I get home.)

Afterwards, I figured I was wrong, which is why I commented again with the numbers of bonds each of the atoms in the molecule can make.

Offline Babcock_Hall

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Re: General Chemistry 1 - Lewis diagrams
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2022, 08:11:07 AM »
Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine all follow the octet rule.  I wonder whether or not you are neglecting to think about lone pairs of electrons.

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