Lewis Structure: In the Lewis structure of CH2O (formaldehyde), carbon is the central atom. Carbon forms a double bond with oxygen and single bonds with two hydrogen atoms. The structure can be represented as:
H
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H—C=O
Number of Valence Electrons: Carbon has 4 valence electrons, each hydrogen has 1, and oxygen has 6. The total number of valence electrons in CH2O is 4 (C) + 2*1 (H) + 6 (O) = 12.
Number of Electron Domains: There are 3 electron domains around the central carbon atom. These include 2 single bonds (C-H) and 1 double bond (C=O).
Electron Domain Geometry: The electron domain geometry around the central carbon atom is trigonal planar. This is because there are 3 electron domains, and they arrange themselves to minimize repulsion.
Molecular Geometry: The molecular geometry of CH2O is also trigonal planar. The arrangement of atoms around the central carbon atom is flat, with bond angles of approximately 120 degrees.