Section 1
Carbon Bonding
What makes carbon able to form so many different compounds?
Your roommate, a chemistry major, claims to have synthesized the compound $\mathrm{CH}_{5}$ in the lab. Why is that not possible?
What does a double bond represent? How many pairs of electrons are shared between the atoms in a double bond? Draw the Lewis structure of a simple molecule that contains a double bond.
How many electron pairs are shared when a triple bond exists between two carbon atoms? What mustbe the geometric arrangement around the carbon atoms in a triple bond? Draw the Lewis structure ofa simple molecule that contains a triple bond.
When a carbon atom is bonded to four other atoms, what geometric arrangement occurs around the carbon atom? Why?
Draw the Lewis structures for carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.