Number of Lone Pairs and Bonding Pairs for CO

To determine the number of lone pairs (unbonded pairs) and bonding pairs of electrons for CO we first need to draw as valid Lewis Structure. Once we have a Lewis Structure for CO then we can identify the lone and bonding pairs.

Bonding pairs of electrons are the electrons between the atoms. These form the chemical bond and are shared between atoms. Often a pair of bonding electrons is represented by a line. Each line represents a pair of bonding electrons.

Lone pairs (unbonded pairs) of electrons are the remaining electrons around the atom. These are not between atoms and are not shared. The are important because they do occupy space and influence the shape of the molecule.

There is one lone pair of electrons on the C atom for CO and one lone pair on the O atom.

We often need to know the the number of lone pairs of electrons in a molecule like CO (as well as electrons involved in bonds) to determine the molecular geometry, calculate formal charges, and understand polarity and chemical reactivity.

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[yashpundir]

Do you know the formula for calculating lone pair and bond pair without looking at structure of particular molecule??

[ayushb]

But carbon has only 4 electrons in valence shell where is that lone pair coming from