In addition to this, the four hydrogen atoms also use these four new hybrid orbitals to produce carbon-hydrogen (C-H) sigma bonds. Moreover, the new four sp3 hybrid orbitals have 25% characteristics of s orbital whereas 75% characteristics of p orbital. It is due to the reason that the one 2s and three 2p orbitals of the carbon mixes and overlaps to form four new hybrid orbitals of equal energy and similar shape. If we look for the hybridization of the carbon atom in the methane (CH4), it is sp3. Hybridization is a mathematical process of mixing and overlapping at least two atomic orbitals within the same atom to produce completely different orbitals and the same energy called new hybrid orbitals. It is the reason why the structure of methane is highly stable in nature. The distortion from the ideal bond angle within a molecule occurs because of the presence of lone pairs and bond length between the central atom and the side atoms.įrom the Lewis structure, it can be understood that an equal number of electron sharing is taking place between the carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms altogether. This theory is used to predict the geometrical structure of a molecule along with the reason for such a shape.įor the methane (CH4) molecule, this theory says as there exists no distortion in the structure of CH4, it is an ideal bent-shaped molecule or tetrahedron having a bond angle of 109.5° between hydrogen-carbon-hydrogen atoms (H-C-H).ĭue to the symmetrical shape of the bonds formed in the CH4 molecule, the charges on its atoms are equally distributed and no polarization takes place ie the Methane molecule is a nonpolar molecule.įor better understanding, you can refer to the article written on the polarity of CH4. This behavior is explained with the help of the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory. The single-molecule of methane (CH4) is tetrahedral with no lone pairs on any atom. The Geometrical Structure of Methane (CH4) Now, draw the lewis structure of the methane (CH4) as below It is carbon in the case of methane (CH4). Lastly, search for the central atom that is usually the single atom in a molecule. The next step is to find the total number and type of bond-forming that atoms within a single CH4 molecule.Ī single shared covalent bond is formed between each carbon and hydrogen atom (C-H). It is eight for a single CH4 molecule, as four are needed by the carbon atom and one by hydrogen atom each. Next, a search of electrons is required by a single CH4 molecule to reach a stable condition. Here we will learn about how the lewis dot structure is drawn for CH4 molecule, step by step.įirstly, look for the total number of valence electrons required by a single CH4 molecule, which is sixteen. The lewis structure of carbon and hydrogen atom says- to form a single CH4 molecule, a total of eight valence electrons participate in the shared bonding to fulfill the need of eight more valence electrons. The lewis structure of CH4 is drawn to fulfill the need of valence electrons by all the atoms. If we follow this rule, it is much easier to see that carbon has a dearth of four valence electrons whereas, hydrogen needs only one valence electron. This rule says the maximum valence electrons that can be drawn around an atom are eight. Whereas, on the other hand, the atomic number of the hydrogen atom is one that makes its electronic configuration 1s1.Īs there is a dearth of only one electron, the number of valence electrons in a hydrogen atom is one. Due to this, the number of valence electrons in the carbon atom has been four. So, the electronic configuration of the carbon will be 1s2 2s2 2p2.Īs the p shell needs to accommodate a total of six electrons, there is a dearth of four electrons. To know the number of valence electrons in a carbon atom, first, it is crucial to find its atomic number which is six. There can be a maximum of eight valence electrons in an atom. These are the electrons that participate in the bond formation by either getting donated or accepted between the atoms. Valence electrons are those electrons that take participation in the bond formation and exist in the outermost shell of an atom.
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