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GeH4 (germane) has one germanium atom and four hydrogen atoms.
In the GeH4 Lewis structure, there are four single bonds around the germanium atom, with four hydrogen atoms attached to it, and none of the atoms has a lone pair.
Steps
To properly draw the GeH4 Lewis structure, follow these steps:
#1 Draw a rough sketch of the structure
#2 Next, indicate lone pairs on the atoms
#3 Indicate formal charges on the atoms, if necessary
Let’s break down each step in more detail.
#1 Draw a rough sketch of the structure
- First, determine the total number of valence electrons
In the periodic table, germanium lies in group 14, and hydrogen lies in group 1.
Hence, germanium has four valence electrons and hydrogen has one valence electron.
Since GeH4 has one germanium atom and four hydrogen atoms, so…
Valence electrons of one germanium atom = 4 × 1 = 4
Valence electrons of four hydrogen atoms = 1 × 4 = 4
And the total valence electrons = 4 + 4 = 8
Learn how to find: Germanium valence electrons and Hydrogen valence electrons
- Second, find the total electron pairs
We have a total of 8 valence electrons. And when we divide this value by two, we get the value of total electron pairs.
Total electron pairs = total valence electrons ÷ 2
So the total electron pairs = 8 ÷ 2 = 4
- Third, determine the central atom
Here hydrogen can not be the central atom. Because the central atom is bonded with at least two other atoms, and hydrogen has only one electron in its last shell, so it can not make more than one bond.
Hence, here we have to assume that the central atom is germanium.
Therefore, place germanium in the center and hydrogens on either side.
- And finally, draw the rough sketch
#2 Next, indicate lone pairs on the atoms
Here, we have a total of 4 electron pairs. And four Ge — H bonds are already marked. So we do not have to mark any electron pair as a lone pair on the sketch.
In the above structure, you can see that the central atom (germanium) forms an octet. And the outside atoms (hydrogens) also form a duet. Hence, the octet rule and duet rule are satisfied.
Therefore, this structure is the stable Lewis structure of GeH4.
Next: GeCl4 Lewis structure
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Deep
Learnool.com was founded by Deep Rana, who is a mechanical engineer by profession and a blogger by passion. He has a good conceptual knowledge on different educational topics and he provides the same on this website. He loves to learn something new everyday and believes that the best utilization of free time is developing a new skill.