How to Draw the Lewis Structure, Indicate the Molecular Structure, and Determine the Bond Angles for CO

To draw the Lewis structure for CO (carbon monoxide), follow these steps:

1. Count the total number of valence electrons: Carbon has 4 valence electrons, and oxygen has 6. Adding these together gives a total of 10 valence electrons.
2. Draw the skeletal structure: Place the carbon atom in the center and the oxygen atom on one side, connected by a single bond.
3. Distribute the remaining electrons: After forming the single bond, you have 8 electrons left. Place these as lone pairs around the oxygen atom to satisfy the octet rule. Oxygen will have 3 lone pairs, and carbon will have 1 lone pair.
4. Form a triple bond: To satisfy the octet rule for both atoms, convert one of the lone pairs on oxygen into a bonding pair, forming a triple bond between carbon and oxygen. This leaves oxygen with 2 lone pairs and carbon with no lone pairs.

Molecular Structure: The molecular structure of CO is linear. The carbon and oxygen atoms are connected by a triple bond, and there are no lone pairs on the carbon atom.

Bond Angles: Since the molecular structure is linear, the bond angle between the carbon and oxygen atoms is 180 degrees.

Here is the Lewis structure for CO:

:C≡O:

In this structure, the triple bond between carbon and oxygen is represented by three lines, and the lone pairs on oxygen are represented by dots.