Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
CARBON STRUCTURE
1+
Hydrogens
6n
6+
1+
1+
Carbon
1+
Methane
H
n
Neutrons
+
Protons
Electrons (carbon)
HCH
or
CH
4
x
Electrons (hydrogen)
H
An atom is like a solar system with a heavy nucleus in the middle corre-
sponding to the sun and electrons orbiting the nucleus corresponding to the
planets. There are six neutrons and six protons in the nucleus of carbon and
two electrons in an inner orbit and four electrons in an outer orbit. The outer
orbit needs eight electrons to be stable. Thus, carbon will accept an electron
from four other atoms to complete the needed eight. Hydrogen, with one
available electron, needs one more electron to stabilize itself with two elec-
trons. So, it can share its one electron with carbon and carbon can share one
of its electrons with hydrogen. Thus, four hydrogen atoms, each with one
electron, can satisfy the four electrons needed by carbon. The result is a
stable simple organic compound known as methane.
The sharing of electrons between carbon and hydrogen is an example of
atom to-atom bonding known as
covalency
and the two-electron bond is
called a
covalent bond
.
