Chapter 5: Problem 75

Hydrogen (H) and sulfur (S) form the toxic compound hydrogen sulfide, a gas that smells like rotten eggs and is spewed from volcanoes. Predict the formula of hydrogen sulfide starting with dot diagrams for the atoms.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The formula of hydrogen sulfide can be predicted by drawing dot diagrams for hydrogen (H) and sulfur (S) atoms, with H having 1 valence electron and S having 6. Two hydrogen atoms can share their electrons with one sulfur atom to achieve stable configurations, resulting in the dot diagram \( \: : H \underset{\displaystyle\cdot}{S} : H : \) and the chemical formula H2S.

Step by step solution

Draw the dot diagrams for hydrogen and sulfur atoms

To draw the dot diagrams, we need to know the number of valence electrons for each element. Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron, and sulfur (S) has 6 valence electrons. Here are the dot diagrams: - Hydrogen (H): \( \cdot H \) - Sulfur (S): \( \: : \underset{\displaystyle\cdot}{S} \: : \)

Determine how hydrogen and sulfur atoms can share electrons

To achieve a stable electron configuration, hydrogen needs 1 more electron to fill its 1s orbital, forming a stable electron pair. Meanwhile, sulfur needs 2 more electrons to achieve a stable octet configuration. Therefore, two hydrogen atoms can share their electrons with one sulfur atom, allowing sulfur to have a total of 8 valence electrons while hydrogen atoms achieve a stable electron pair.

Draw the dot diagram for hydrogen sulfide

With two hydrogen atoms sharing their electrons with one sulfur atom, the dot diagram of hydrogen sulfide looks like this: \( \: : H \underset{\displaystyle\cdot}{S} : H : \)

Write the chemical formula

Based on the electron sharing, we can see that two hydrogen atoms are needed for each sulfur atom in the compound. Thus, the chemical formula is H2S. In conclusion, the formula of hydrogen sulfide is H2S.

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Hydrogen (H) and sulfur (S) form the toxic compound hydrogen sulfide, a gas that smells like rotten eggs and is spewed from volcanoes. Predict the formula of hydrogen sulfide starting with dot diagrams for the atoms.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Draw the dot diagrams for hydrogen and sulfur atoms

Determine how hydrogen and sulfur atoms can share electrons

Draw the dot diagram for hydrogen sulfide

Write the chemical formula

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