1. Determine the total number of valence electrons:
* Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons.
* Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron each (2 total).
* Bromine (Br) has 7 valence electrons each (14 total).
Total valence electrons = 4 + 2 + 14 = 20
2. Determine the central atom:
* Carbon is the least electronegative atom, so it will be the central atom.
3. Draw a single bond between the central atom and the surrounding atoms:
* Connect the carbon atom to the two hydrogen atoms and the two bromine atoms with single bonds.
4. Complete the octets of the surrounding atoms:
* Each hydrogen atom needs 2 electrons to complete its duet.
* Each bromine atom needs 8 electrons to complete its octet.
5. Complete the octet of the central atom (if necessary):
* Carbon has 4 electrons from the single bonds. It needs 4 more electrons to complete its octet.
6. Add lone pairs to the surrounding atoms:
* Each bromine atom has 3 lone pairs (6 electrons) to complete its octet.
Lewis Structure:
```
H
|
H - C - Br
|
Br
```
Nonbonding Electrons:
* Each bromine atom has 6 nonbonding electrons (3 lone pairs).
* There are two bromine atoms, so there are a total of 12 nonbonding electrons.
Therefore, there are 12 nonbonding electrons in CH2Br2.
