Question

Since `C Cl_4` is made up of one carbon and four chlorine atoms, how many total valence electrons does `C Cl_4` have?

Answer 1

`32` valence electrons, as lone pairs or bonding pairs.

Explanation:

The carbon atom, `Z=6`, has `4` valence electrons, all of which are conceived to participate in the `4` `C-Cl` bonds. There are `7` valence electrons on each chlorine atom; one of these electrons participates in the individual `C-Cl` bonds. `4xx7+4=32` electrons as required.

Answer 2

`4+(4xx7)=32e^-`

Explanation:

The number of valence electrons in the molecule `CCl_4` could be calculated by:

`4e^(-) " for Carbon"`

`7e^(-) " for Chlorine"`

Since there is `4` chlorine atoms in the molecule, therefore, the total number of valence electrons would be:

`4+(4xx7)=32e^-`