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

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To draw the electron-dot structure for acetylene, we need to consider the valence electrons of each atom in the molecule. 
- Carbon has 4 valence electrons 
- Hydrogen has 1 valence electron 
The formula for acetylene is C2H2, which means we have 2 carbon atoms and 2 hydrogen atoms.

To draw the electron-dot structure, we first connect the two carbon atoms with a triple bond (three pairs of shared electrons). Each carbon atom has 2 unshared electrons and 1 bonded electron from the triple bond for a total of 3 electrons each. The two hydrogen atoms each have 1 unshared electron and are bonded to one carbon atom for a total of 2 electrons each.

Therefore, the total number of electrons used to draw the electron-dot structure for acetylene is:

2 carbon atoms x 3 electrons each = 6 electrons 
2 hydrogen atoms x 2 electrons each = 4 electrons

Total = 6 + 4 = 10 electrons.

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