Lewis structure of C₂H₆
14 valence electrons. One C-C single bond and three C-H single bonds, with no lone pair on C.
Lewis structure
14 valence electronsFormal charges: none
Why this shape
- Each C has 4 valence electrons. It uses four in one single bond to C and three single bonds to H, so none are left over.
- Steric number = four sigma bonds + no lone pairs = 4, so each C is sp³ hybridised.
- Four electron pairs point to the corners of a tetrahedron (tetrahedral electron geometry). With no lone pairs the atoms take the same shape: tetrahedral.
- All the bond pairs repel each other equally, so the angle is the ideal about 109.5°.
- Each end is a tetrahedron of C-H bonds and the two ends match, so the bond dipoles cancel.
How to draw it
- Count the valence electrons: 2 × C 4 + 6 × H 1 = 14 valence electrons, 7 pairs.
- Join the atoms with single bonds: the C atoms to each other and the H atoms around them.
- Give each outer atom lone pairs until it has an octet (H needs only two electrons), then put any electrons left over on the central atom.
- Result: one C-C single bond and three C-H single bonds, with no lone pair on C.
- Formal charge = valence electrons − lone pair electrons − number of bonds. Here: none.
Class 11, Chapter 4 Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure.
Lewis structure of C2H6: quick answers
How many valence electrons are in C2H6?
2 × C 4 + 6 × H 1 = 14 valence electrons, 7 pairs.
What are the formal charges in the Lewis structure of C2H6?
Every atom has a formal charge of zero.
How many lone pairs are in the Lewis structure of C2H6?
0 in all, none on the central C.