What is the Lewis structure of CS2?

The process of drawing the Lewis structure for CS₂​ (carbon disulfide) involves several steps. The Lewis structure is a graphical representation that reveals the bonding between atoms and lone pairs on atoms in a molecule. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how to draw the Lewis structure for CS₂​:

Step 1 - Counting Valence Electrons:

First, determine the total number of valence electrons in the molecule.

• Carbon has 4 valence electrons, and each sulfur atom has 6 valence electrons.
• Since there are two sulfur atoms, the total number of valence electrons is 4+(2×6)=16.

Step 2 - Identifying the Central Atom:

• Carbon is the central atom because it has the lowest electronegativity compared to sulfur. Place the carbon atom in the center and the sulfur atoms on either side.

Step 3 - Drawing Single Bonds:

• Start by drawing single bonds between the central carbon atom and the two sulfur atoms. Each single bond represents 2 electrons, so you've used 4 electrons so far, leaving 12 electrons.

Step 4 - Placing Remaining Electrons:

• Distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs on the sulfur atoms to satisfy the octet rule, which states that each atom (except hydrogen) should be surrounded by 8 electrons.
• Place 6 electrons on each sulfur atom as lone pairs. Now you've used all 16 electrons.

Step 5 - Checking the Octet Rule:

• Check to ensure that each atom follows the octet rule.
• The carbon atom does not have an octet yet; it only has 4 electrons from the two single bonds.
• Each sulfur atom has an octet (2 electrons from the bond to carbon and 6 electrons from lone pairs).

Step 6 - Forming Double Bonds:

• To satisfy the octet rule for carbon, form double bonds between carbon and each sulfur atom.
• Remove a lone pair of electrons from each sulfur atom and use them to form double bonds with carbon.

The final Lewis structure for CS₂​ should have a carbon atom in the center double-bonded to two sulfur atoms, with each sulfur atom also having two lone pairs of electrons.

The Lewis structure of CS2 should look like this:

In this structure:

• Each line represents a pair of shared electrons (a bond), and each pair of dots represents a lone pair of electrons.
• The carbon atom now has 8 electrons (4 from each double bond), and each sulfur atom has 8 electrons (4 from the double bond and 4 from lone pairs), satisfying the octet rule for all atoms.