Covalent bonding in carbon
Carbon Compounds (School Level) · Chemistry
Study notes
Draw the bonding in methane (CH₄) and explain why carbon makes 4 bonds. Step 1: Carbon has 4 valence electrons; needs 4 more for octet. Step 2: Each hydrogen shares its 1 electron with carbon — 4 shared pairs. Step 3: Structure: carbon at centre, 4 H around, each C–H a single covalent bond. Step 4: Carbon now 'has' 8 electrons (4 own + 4 shared) → stable octet. Result: CH₄ with tetrahedral shape.