Use your knowledge of valence electrons and how they affect bonds to figure out how carbon (Group 14) and oxygen (Group 16) would be attached to one another. In carbon dioxide (CO2), how is the compound structured? (Use “–” to represent a single bond and “=” to represent a double bond.)(1 point)

Question

Responses

C–O–O
C–O–O

C=O–O
C=O–O

O=C=O
O=C=O

O=C–O

Answer 1

To understand how carbon (C) and oxygen (O) bond in carbon dioxide (CO2), we need to consider their valence electrons:

• Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons (Group 14).
• Oxygen (O) has 6 valence electrons (Group 16).

In CO2, carbon will form two double bonds with two oxygen atoms to satisfy the octet rule for all atoms involved. Each oxygen uses 2 of its valence electrons to form a double bond with carbon.

The correct structure for carbon dioxide (CO2) is:

O=C=O

So the answer is:

O=C=O