Question

bromomethane, $ch_{3}br$, is a very useful fumigant against a wide range of agricultural pests, from insects to the verticillium wilt fungus. draw the lewis structure of $ch_{3}br$.

Explanation:

To draw the Lewis structure of \(CH_3Br\):

• Count valence electrons: Carbon (\(C\)) has 4 valence electrons, hydrogen (\(H\)) has 1 (and there are 3 \(H\) atoms), and bromine (\(Br\)) has 7. So total valence electrons \(=4+(1\times3)+7 = 14\).
• Determine the central atom: Carbon is the central atom as it can form more bonds.
• Connect atoms with single bonds: Connect \(C\) to each \(H\) and \(Br\) with single bonds (\(C - H\) and \(C - Br\)). Each single bond uses 2 electrons. So far, \(4\times2=8\) electrons are used.
• Distribute remaining electrons: We have \(14 - 8=6\) electrons left. These are placed as lone pairs on \(Br\) (since \(H\) can't have lone pairs). \(Br\) gets 3 lone pairs (6 electrons).

Answer:

The Lewis structure has \(C\) in the center. \(C\) is single - bonded to three \(H\) atoms and one \(Br\) atom. \(Br\) has three lone pairs of electrons.