How many electrons are used to draw the electron-dot structure for ethane, a covalent compound with the formula

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ethane (C2H6) contains two carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms. Each carbon atom forms four covalent bonds, and each hydrogen atom forms one covalent bond. Therefore, the total number of electrons used to draw the electron-dot structure for ethane is:

2 carbon atoms x 4 electrons per bond x 3 bonds = 24 electrons
6 hydrogen atoms x 1 electron per bond x 1 bond = 6 electrons
Total number of electrons = 24 + 6 = 30
However, each bonding pair of electrons is shared by two atoms, so we must divide the total number of electrons by 2 to get the number of electrons used to draw the electron-dot structure for ethane:

30 electrons / 2 = 15 electrons
Therefore, the best choice is B (14) because it is the closest answer to the actual number of electrons used to draw the electron-dot structure for ethane.

How Many Electrons Are Used to Draw the Electron-Dot Structure