What is 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.
gcsescience.com Contents The Periodic Table Index Quizzes gcsescience.com
Copyright © 2013 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.