Question

12 essay 5 points
how many lone pairs of electrons does the element below have?

Explanation:

Step1: Count the total number of electrons

There are 8 electrons in total.

Step2: Determine the number of bonding pairs

Assume the two bonds (represented by the X - like structure) use 4 electrons (2 pairs).

Step3: Calculate the number of lone - pair electrons

Subtract the bonding electrons from the total electrons. \(8 - 4=4\) electrons. Since a lone pair has 2 electrons, the number of lone pairs is \(\frac{4}{2}=2\).

Answer:

2