Input interpretation
formaldehyde | structure diagram
Result
Draw the Lewis structure of formaldehyde. Start by drawing the overall structure of the molecule, ignoring potential double and triple bonds: Count the total valence electrons of the carbon (n_C, val = 4), hydrogen (n_H, val = 1), and oxygen (n_O, val = 6) atoms: n_C, val + 2 n_H, val + n_O, val = 12 Calculate the number of electrons needed to completely fill the valence shells for carbon (n_C, full = 8), hydrogen (n_H, full = 2), and oxygen (n_O, full = 8): n_C, full + 2 n_H, full + n_O, full = 20 Subtracting these two numbers shows that 20 - 12 = 8 bonding electrons are needed. Each bond has two electrons, so in addition to the 3 bonds already present in the diagram add 1 bond. To minimize formal charge oxygen wants 2 bonds and carbon wants 4 bonds. Identify the atoms that want additional bonds and the number of electrons remaining on each atom: Fill in the 1 bond by pairing electrons between adjacent highlighted atoms: Answer: | |