A lone pair of electrons is a pair of valence electrons in an atom that are not shared with another atom in a chemical bond, also known as a non-bonding pair. These electrons reside in the outermost electron shell, occupy space, and significantly influence a molecule's shape, polarity, and reactivity, often depicted as dots in Lewis structures.
To determine the number of lone pairs, we analyze the Lewis structure of each molecule:
CH\(_4\)(Methane): Carbon forms four single bonds with hydrogen atoms. There are zero lone pairs in the molecule.NH\(_3\)(Ammonia): Nitrogen forms three single bonds with hydrogen atoms and has one lone pair of electrons.H\(_2\)O(Water): Oxygen forms two single bonds with hydrogen atoms and has two lone pairs of electrons.CO\(_2\)(Carbon Dioxide): Carbon forms two double bonds with oxygen atoms. Each oxygen atom has two lone pairs, totaling four lone pairs of electrons in the molecule. :. The molecule with the highest number of lone pairs of electrons is CO\(_2\) - Option DThere is an explanation video available below.
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