How many p electrons are present in the following heterocycle?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The heterocycle in question contains two nitrogen atoms and three carbon atoms. Each nitrogen atom contributes 5 valence electrons, while each carbon atom contributes 4 valence electrons. This leads to a total of 2(5) + 3(4) = 18 valence electrons.

To determine the number of p electrons, we first need to draw the Lewis structure of the heterocycle:

N             C
  / \           / \
 H   C         N   C
     |         |   |
     C         C   H
    /           \
   N             H

We can see that there are 6 p orbitals involved in the pi-system of the heterocycle: one on each of the two nitrogen atoms, and two on each of the three carbon atoms. Therefore, the correct answer is C) 6.

How Many P Electrons Are Present in the Following Heterocycle