Question

Draw the electron dot structure of methane( ${\mathrm{CH}}_4$).

Answer 1

Part 1: Electron dot structure:

• It defines the nature of the bond and position of atoms of the molecule which are connected in the molecule.
• The structures also display the total number of lone pairs present in each of the atoms that constitute the molecule.

Part 2: Electron dot structure of methane :

• The core element in methane ${\mathrm{CH}}_4$ is carbon.
• Carbon has 4 electrons in its outermost shell and hydrogen has 1 electron in its outermost shell.
• So, carbon shares its one electron each with four hydrogen atoms.
• The valence electron of the element is represented by the electron dot structure. Carbon, for example, contains four electrons in its electron dot structure, while each hydrogen only has one electron.
• The valence electrons of carbon are represented by $\times$and the valence electron of each hydrogen is represented by a black dot.
• The electron dot structure of ${\mathrm{CH}}_4$ is shown below: