Problem 80 Some medicines used in treating ... [FREE SOLUTION]

Chapter 22: Problem 80

Some medicines used in treating depression contain lithium carbonate. Draw the Lewis structure for \(\mathrm{Li}_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}\).

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer: The Lewis structure for Li鈧侰O鈧� is: Li-O-C-O-Li | O The carbonate ion (CO鈧兟测伝) has a charge of -2, and to balance this, there are two Li atoms with charges of +1 each. Carbon and oxygen atoms form the central carbonate ion, while Li atoms bond to the oxygen atoms of the carbonate ion.

Step by step solution

Calculate the total number of valence electrons

The elements in \(\mathrm{Li}_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}\) have the following valence electrons: Li has 1, C has 4, and O has 6. Since there are two Li atoms, our total count of valence electrons is: \((1 \times 2) + 4 + (6 \times 3) = 2 + 4 + 18 = 24\).

Arrange the atoms in a skeleton structure

The central atom in this structure should be the one with the most bonding preferences, which is Carbon. So we will arrange the atoms like this: C is in the center with an O atom connected to it on each side (a total of 3 O atoms), and each O atom will be connected to a Li atom. In this arrangement, the carbonate ion (\(\mathrm{CO}_{3}^{2-}\)) will be formed first before bonding to the Li atoms.

Assign electrons to create bonds

For each bond between C and O, we need two electrons. So, we need a total of \(2 \times 3 = 6\) electrons to create bonds between the central C atom and the three O atoms. We have used 6 out of 24 valence electrons.

Distribute the remaining electrons to satisfy the octet rule

There are 18 valence electrons left. First, we will satisfy the octet rule for the three O atoms. Each O atom needs 6 more electrons to complete the octet, totaling 18 electrons. After this step, all O atoms have a full octet. Since Li is in Group 1 and has only 1 valence electron, it wants to lose 1 electron to become stable. Carbon already has its full octet from the bonds with oxygen atoms.

Assign charges and combine ions to form the final Lewis structure

The carbonate ion (\(\mathrm{CO}_{3}^{2-}\)) has a charge of -2 due to the extra electrons around the oxygen atoms. To balance this, we need two Li atoms with charges of +1 each, as they lose their valence electrons. Thus, we combine \(\mathrm{CO}_{3}^{2-}\) with two \(\mathrm{Li}^{+}\) ions to form the final Lewis structure for \(\mathrm{Li}_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}\). The Lewis structure for \(\mathrm{Li}_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}\) is below: \(\mathrm{Li-O-C-O-Li}\) \(\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\, \\ |\,\) \(\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\, \\O\) With the Li atoms having +1 charges and the carbonate ion having a -2 charge.

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91影视

Some medicines used in treating depression contain lithium carbonate. Draw the Lewis structure for \(\mathrm{Li}_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}\).

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Calculate the total number of valence electrons

Arrange the atoms in a skeleton structure

Assign electrons to create bonds

Distribute the remaining electrons to satisfy the octet rule

Assign charges and combine ions to form the final Lewis structure

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