To draw the line bond structure for butane, we start by visualizing the chain of four carbon atoms. Butane is an alkane, which means it contains only single bonds between carbon atoms. The molecular formula for butane is C₄H₁₀, indicating there are four carbon atoms and ten hydrogen atoms.
Here’s how you can represent the line bond structure:
H H H H
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H - C - C - C - C - H
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H H H H
In the line bond structure, each vertex represents a carbon atom, and the lines between them represent the bonds. Since butane is a straight-chain alkane, all four carbon atoms are connected in a linear fashion. Each carbon atom forms four bonds to satisfy the tetravalency, which is characteristic of carbon.
The hydrogen atoms are implied in the line structure. Every carbon atom that does not explicitly show four bonds will have enough hydrogen atoms attached to it to make up for the four bonds. For butane, it amounts to ten hydrogens, consistent with the molecular formula C₄H₁₀.