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Carbon has 4 electrons in its outer shell, but needs 8 to be stable. Hydrogen has just 1 electron but needs 2 to be stable (the first shell of any element contains only 2 electrons, and hydrogen has only one shell). Therefore, the hydrogen atoms in methane, CH4, are presumed to surround the carbon atom so that they can each share one of the carbon electrons, while sharing their 1 electron each with the carbon atom. This, in effect, satisfies the needs of the carbon atom and the hydrogen atom, through sharing of electrons.

To simplify this, carbon borrows the 4 hydrogen electrons while lending its 4 electrons, and vice versa.

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Q: Why is carbon in the center of the methane molecule?
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Related questions

Number of carbon atoms in methane?

Methane (CH4) is composed of one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen, a total of five.


Which prefix indicates a molecule with 4 carbon atoms?

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Molecule that consists of one carbon and four hydrogen atoms?

The molecular formula is CH4. This molecule is know as Carbon tetrahydride or more simply Methane.


Is methane a diatomic molecule?

No. A diatomic molecule contains two atoms. A molecule of methane contains one atom of carbon and four of hydrogen for a total of five.


What two elements make up the molecule methane?

Methane is CH4 and has the elements carbon and hydrogen.


What is the amount of carbon in methane?

One (CH4). (per molecule)


How carbon satisfies its valency in a molecule of methane?

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What is the most predominant carbon molecule in natural gas?

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What is meant by the methane molecule has tetrahedral geometry?

It means that the 4 hydrogen atoms of a methane molecule are at the vertices of a regular tetrahedron with the carbon atom at its centre.


How many elements in methane gas?

the chemical formula of methane is CH4. one molecule of methane contains one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.


Which molecule is more likely to exist in nature a molecule of CH3 or a molecule of CH4 Explain?

The molecule of methane is more stable, carbon is tetravalent.


What does the letters C and H stand for in methane?

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