The Lewis structure for CH4 (methane) consists of a carbon atom at the center with four hydrogen atoms bonded to it. Carbon has four valence electrons, and each hydrogen atom has one valence electron. In the Lewis structure, carbon shares one electron with each hydrogen atom, forming four single covalent bonds. This results in a total of eight electrons around the carbon atom, satisfying the octet rule. Each hydrogen atom also achieves a stable configuration with two electrons.
The molecular geometry of CH4 is tetrahedral. This means that the four hydrogen atoms are arranged symmetrically around the carbon atom, with bond angles of approximately 109.5 degrees.
CH4 is a nonpolar molecule. This is because the electronegativity difference between carbon and hydrogen is very small, and the symmetrical arrangement of the hydrogen atoms around the carbon atom results in a uniform distribution of charge. Therefore, there is no net dipole moment, making CH4 nonpolar.