The Lewis structure of C2H4, also known as ethylene, is a representation of the molecule that shows the arrangement of its atoms and the bonds between them. Here’s how it looks:
1. Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons, and Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron.
2. In C2H4, there are two carbon atoms and four hydrogen atoms. The two carbon atoms are connected by a double bond, and each carbon atom is also bonded to two hydrogen atoms.
3. The Lewis structure can be drawn as follows:
H H
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H—C=C—H
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H H
4. Each line represents a pair of shared electrons (a bond). The double bond between the two carbon atoms consists of two pairs of shared electrons.
5. This structure shows that each carbon atom forms four bonds (two with hydrogen atoms and two with the other carbon atom), satisfying the octet rule for carbon and the duet rule for hydrogen.
Understanding the Lewis structure of C2H4 helps in visualizing the molecule’s geometry and predicting its chemical behavior.