To determine the number and types of bonds in carbonic acid (H₂CO₃), we need to consider its structure. The molecular formula H₂CO₃ indicates that it contains:
- 2 Hydrogen (H) atoms
- 1 Carbon (C) atom
- 3 Oxygen (O) atoms
Valence Electrons:
- Each H atom has 1 valence electron, contributing a total of 2 for 2 H atoms.
- The C atom has 4 valence electrons.
- Each O atom has 6 valence electrons, contributing a total of 18 for 3 O atoms (6 valence electrons * 3).
The total number of valence electrons in H₂CO₃ is:
- H: 2
- C: 4
- O: 18 Total = 2 + 4 + 18 = 24 valence electrons.
Structure of H₂CO₃: Carbonic acid can typically be represented in the following structure:
- The carbon atom is at the center.
- It forms one double bond with one of the oxygen atoms (C=O).
- It forms single bonds with the remaining two oxygen atoms (C-O), each of which is also bonded to one hydrogen atom (O-H).
So, the structure can be visualized as:
O
||
H-O-C-O-H
Bond Summary: Based on the structure:
- 1 double bond between C and one O (C=O).
- 2 single bonds between C and the other two O atoms (C-O).
- 2 single bonds between O and H (O-H).
Total Bonds: Counting all the bonds:
- There are 5 single bonds in total (2 C-O + 2 O-H + the implicit H-H bond) and 1 double bond (C=O).
Thus, the correct answer is: 5 single bonds and 1 double bond.