to form six carbon - hydrogen covalent bonds.
The two carbon atoms will each share their 1 electron to form
one carbon - carbon covalent bond and make an ethane molecule (C2H6).
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The Structure of an Ethane Molecule.
A carbon atom has 4
electrons in its
outer
shell.
Carbon is in group 4 of the periodic table.
A hydrogen atom has 1 electron in its
outer shell.
Hydrogen can only form 1 bond.
The six
hydrogen atoms will
each share their 1 electron with carbon
to form six carbon - hydrogen covalent bonds.
The two carbon atoms will each share
their 1 electron to form
one carbon - carbon covalent bond and make an ethane molecule (C2H6).
The pairs of shared
electrons between the hydrogen
and the carbon atoms
show single covalent bonds - see covalent
bonding.
Ethane is commonly represented by the structural formula
where the single lines between the atoms represent single covalent bonds.
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Copyright © 2008 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.