Carbon Valence

A valence electron is an electron that is associated with an atom, and that can participate in the formation of a chemical bond; in a single covalent bond, both atoms in the bond contribute one valence electron in order to form a shared pair. The presence of valence electrons can determine the element's chemical properties and whether it may bond with other elements: For a main group element, a valence electron can only be in the outermost electron shell.

A carbon atom has four electrons in its outermost valence shell. So, it needs four more electrons to complete its octet. A carbon atom completes its octet only by sharing its valence electrons with other atoms. As a result, a carbon atom forms four covalent bonds by sharing valence electrons with other atoms. 5.4k members in the cursedchemistry community. Cursed lab tech, cursed molecules, and cursed scientific opinions.

An atom with a closed shell of valence electrons (corresponding to an electron configuration (s^2p^6)) tends to be chemically inert. An atom with one or two valence electrons more than a closed shell is highly reactive, because the extra valence electrons are easily removed to form a positive ion. An atom with one or two valence electrons fewer than a closed shell is also highly reactive, because of a tendency either to gain the missing valence electrons (thereby forming a negative ion), or to share valence electrons (thereby forming a covalent bond).

Vmware horizon client mac download. Like an electron in an inner shell, a valence electron has the ability to absorb or release energy in the form of a photon. An energy gain can trigger an electron to move (jump) to an outer shell; this is known as atomic excitation. Or the electron can even break free from its associated atom's valence shell; this is ionization to form a positive ion. When an electron loses energy (thereby causing a photon to be emitted), then it can move to an inner shell which is not fully occupied.

The number of valence electrons

The number of valence electrons of an element can be determined by the periodic table group (vertical column) in which the element is categorized. With the exception of groups 3–12 (the transition metals), the units digit of the group number identifies how many valence electrons are associated with a neutral atom of an element listed under that particular column.

* The general method for counting valence electrons is generally not useful for transition metals. Instead the modified d electron count method is used. ** Except for helium, which has only two valence electrons.

The Concept of Open Valence ('Valence')

The valence (or valency) of an element is a measure of its combining power with other atoms when it forms chemical compounds or molecules. The concept of valence was developed in the last half of the 19th century and was successful in explaining the molecular structure of many organic compounds. The quest for the underlying causes of valence lead to the modern theories of chemical bonding, including Lewis structures (1916), valence bond theory (1927), molecular orbitals (1928), valence shell electron pair repulsion theory (1958) and all the advanced methods of quantum chemistry.

The combining power or affinity of an atom of an element was determined by the number of hydrogen atoms that it combined with. In methane, carbon has a valence of 4; in ammonia, nitrogen has a valence of 3; in water, oxygen has a valence of two; and in hydrogen chloride, chlorine has a valence of 1. Chlorine, as it has a valence of one, can be substituted for hydrogen, so phosphorus has a valence of 5 in phosphorus pentachloride, PCl₅. Valence diagrams of a compound represent the connectivity of the elements, lines between two elements, sometimes called bonds, represented a saturated valency for each element.^[1] Examples are:-

C Valence Electron

New update macbook. Valence only describes connectivity, it does not describe the geometry of molecular compounds, or what are now known to be ionic compounds or giant covalent structures. The line between atoms does not represent a pair of electrons as it does in Lewis diagrams.

Further Reading

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Cliffs Notes

What properties enable carbon to form polymers and so many other compounds?

1 Answer

Explanation:

Carbon has 4 valence electrons. Recall from your chemistry classes that valence electrons are the outermost shell of electrons in an atom, and most atoms (there are quite a few exceptions) want 8 electrons to become stable. Since carbon already has 4, it needs four more valence electrons to become stable.

There are a variety of ways carbon can get these 8 valence electrons. It can bond with 4 hydrogens (each hydrogen has 1 electron) to form methane:

It can also bond with two oxygens to form carbon dioxide, but most importantly, it can bond with other carbons. Since carbon can form so many different bonds, it often forms the backbone of long hydrocarbon polymers, like carbohydrates, and other long polymers:

See how in the above picture, the carbon atoms on the end form a bond with 3 hydrogens and 1 carbon, while the middle 2 carbons form bonds with 2 carbons and 2 hydrogens? Big sur usb. This property means that carbon can form chains hundreds of atoms long, and carbon's ability to form four bonds allows it to constitute the backbone of long polymers.

In fact, carbon is so important that a whole branch of chemistry, organic chemistry, is dedicated to studying carbon-based molecules.

Carbon Valence Charge

Deeper Concepts
Now, if you are an extremely astute chemist, you may ask, 'Shray, don't other elements like silicon also have 4 valence electrons?'

Carbon Valence Value

Yes, they do. In fact, scientists often consider finding silicon-based life forms on other planets, since the molecule can form 4 bonds, and therefore form polymers similar to the ones in our bodies. However, the reason life on Earth is carbon-based rather than silicon-based, and the reason we have carbon-based compounds is quite simple: Earth just has an abundance of carbon. In fact, many planets in the universe may have more carbon than silicon, since it is easier to synthesize in stars.

However, this doesn't eliminate the possibility of silicon-based life, a life form made of the same elements that are inside the device you are reading this post on right now. The question is, what would silicon-based life look like? While there are a lot of theories, nobody has actually encountered a silicon-based life form, and the world may never know what a life form that forms silicon polymers looks like.

For me, that's what makes chemistry so fascinating. A simple property like the number of electrons in carbon's valence shell can lead to such astounding hypothetical questions and possibilities that make us question our fundamental understanding of life itself.

Carbon Valence Electron Configuration

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