Draw the Lewis Structure for C3H6 Propene

To draw the Lewis structure for propene (C₃H₆), we first need to determine the total number of valence electrons available. Carbon has 4 valence electrons and hydrogen has 1. For three carbon atoms, we have:

3 carbon atoms × 4 electrons = 12 electrons

For six hydrogen atoms, we have:

6 hydrogen atoms × 1 electron = 6 electrons

Adding these together gives us:

12 + 6 = 18 valence electrons to use for bonding.

Now, we can start drawing the Lewis structure. We arrange the three carbon atoms in a row since propene has a double bond between the first two carbon atoms. The basic structure looks like this:

C=C-C

Next, we place the hydrogen atoms around the carbon atoms. The central carbon can bond with two hydrogen atoms, and each of the terminal carbon atoms will bond with three hydrogen atoms. The arrangement should look like this:

   H   H   H
   |   |   |
H--C===C--C--H
   |       |
   H       H

Now, let’s count the electrons. The double bond between the first two carbons accounts for 4 electrons (2 pairs), and the single bonds between carbons and hydrogens account for the remaining electrons:

4 (from the double bond) + 12 (from the six single bonds with hydrogen) = 16 electrons, which is less than our total of 18. Since we are using only single bonds for hydrogen, we do not have any more electrons left to place otherwise.

Thus, the final Lewis structure for propene shows that the carbon atoms at both ends are fully bonded with hydrogen, and the middle one is involved in a double bond with the left carbon, effectively satisfying the octet rule for carbon atoms.

In conclusion, the Lewis structure of propene (C₃H₆) is complete when illustrated as shown, and each atom achieves a stable configuration.