Draw and Explain the Electron Dot Structure for C2H2

The electron dot structure, also known as the Lewis structure, for acetylene (C₂H₂) can be represented as follows:

  H - C ≡ C - H

In this structure, each line represents a pair of shared electrons between the atoms. Here’s the breakdown:

• Acetylene (C₂H₂) consists of two carbon atoms and two hydrogen atoms.
• Each hydrogen atom forms a single bond with a carbon atom, contributing one electron to the bond.
• The two carbon atoms are connected by a triple bond, sharing three pairs of electrons. This involves one sigma bond and two pi bonds, giving the molecule its linear shape.

This arrangement is stable, as it allows each hydrogen to have two electrons in its outer shell (the duet rule) and each carbon to have a full octet (eight electrons) through sharing.