Draw Lewis Structure for CBr4

To draw the Lewis structure for CBr₄, we first identify the number of valence electrons for the atoms involved. Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons and each Bromine (Br) has 7 valence electrons. In total, we have:

• 1 Carbon: 4 electrons
• 4 Bromines: 4 x 7 = 28 electrons
• Total: 4 + 28 = 32 valence electrons

Next, we place the Carbon atom in the center since it is the least electronegative, surrounded by the four Bromine atoms. We then connect each Bromine to the Carbon with a single bond, which uses 8 electrons (2 for each of the 4 bonds). Now we have:

• Total electrons used for bonds: 8
• Remaining electrons: 32 – 8 = 24

We then distribute the remaining electrons to the Bromine atoms to fulfill their octet. Each Bromine atom will need 6 more electrons to complete its octet:

• Each Bromine gets 6 electrons (3 lone pairs).

After distributing the electrons, each Bromine will have a complete octet, and Carbon will also have 4 bonds satisfying its bonding requirement. There are no leftover electrons to place on the central atom, as all have been used. This gives us the final Lewis structure:

In the Lewis structure, Carbon is at the center with four single bonds to each Bromine, and each Bromine has three lone pairs:

   Br    Br
    |    |
    Br - C - Br
    |    |
   Br    Br

This is the Lewis structure for Carbon Tetrabromide (CBr₄).