Carbon compounds

• Carbon can form 4 covalent bonds each
• C-C bonds are strong and non-polar
• In stable carbon compounds, carbon forms 4 covalent bonds
• The molecular formula is the formula that shows the actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule. Found from:

  • Empirical formula
  • Relative atomic mass of empirical formula
  • Relative atomic mass of the molecule
• Displayed formula shows every bond and atom in the molecule.
• Structural formula shows how the atoms are arranged but not all the bonds. e.g. CH3CH2CH3
• The movement of a pair of electrons is shown by a curly arrow that starts from a lone pair of electrons and moves towards a positively charged area or molecule to form a new bond.
• Free radicals are usually extremely reactive.
• Free radicals occur when a covalent bond breaks in such a way that one electron goes to each atom.