Chapter 8, Problem 89A

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation: The electron dot structure for oxalic acid needs to be drawn to explain the bonding between atoms.

Concept Introduction: An electron dot structure represents the arrangement of total valence electrons in a molecule. Here, electrons are represented as dots in pairs around the symbol of atoms of the molecule.

Explanation of Solution

The given compound is oxalic acid with a formula ${\text{C}}_{\text{2}}{\text{H}}_{\text{2}}{\text{O}}_{\text{4}}$ . Here, the number of valence electrons in C, H, and O atoms is 4, 1, and 6 respectively. The total number of valence electrons in the compound will be:

  $\begin{array}{c}2\left(4\right)+2\left(1\right)+4\left(6\right)=8+2+24\\ =34\end{array}$

The arrangement of electrons around the atoms in a compound can be represented as follows:

  

From the above electron dot structure, it can be seen that two carbon atoms are bonded together via a single bond. Also, hydrogen atoms are not directly bonded to any carbon atom, they are bonded to two oxygen atoms which are bonded to carbon atoms via a single bond in the compound. The other two oxygen atoms are bonded to the carbon atom via single bonds.