EXPLAIN HOW THE

STRUCTURE OF THE CARBON

ATOM AFFECTS THE TYPE OF
BONDS IT FORMS
 LEARNER’S ACTIVITY SHEET FOR SCIENCE 9
QUARTER 2, WEEK 4-5

Name: ___________________________________________ Grade & Section: ________________

School: _____________________________________ Teacher: ________________________

Competency:
 Explain how the structure of the carbon atom affects the type of bonds it
forms. (S9mt-iiG-17)

Explore
In the previous Learner’s Activity Sheet (LAS), you have learned about how non-metals
make chemical bonds by sharing electrons from their outer shells to attain stable electronic
configurations. This is also the process by which every carbon compound or organic
compound is formed. In this LAS, the lessons will be about the uses and properties of common
organic compounds like hydrocarbons, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and alcohols .

In this Learner’s Activity Sheet, you will be able to answer the following key question:

How are the carbon atoms able to form many organic compounds?

What are the type of bonds formed by the carbon?

Learn
Carbon isn’t a difficult element to spot in your daily life. For instance, if you’ve used a
pencil, you’ve seen carbon in its graphite form. Similarly, the charcoal pieces on your
barbeque are made out of carbon, and even the diamonds in a ring or necklace are a form of
carbon (in this case, one that has been exposed to high temperature and pressure). What you
may not realize, though, is that about 18% of your body (by weight) is also made of carbon. In
fact, carbon atoms make up the backbone of many important molecules in your body,
including proteins, DNA, RNA, sugars, and fats.
The atomic number of carbon is 6, which represents the number of electrons.
It is represented by the symbol C and is a non-metal. It has 6 protons, 6
neutrons and obviously 6 electrons. A carbon atom is considered to be special
and unique because it can bond with other carbon atoms to an almost
unlimited degree. It is because its atom is very small in size and can conveniently fit in as a
part of larger molecules.
Organic chemistry is an exceptionally important area of chemistry. The majority of
chemicals occurring either naturally or synthetically are organic compounds. Essentially,
organic chemistry is the chemistry of the element carbon. As a Group lV element, carbon has
exceptional versatility when it comes to bonding, thus contributing to the vast number of
organic compounds that occur naturally or can be produced synthetically. This lesson focuses
on the bonding of carbon and some of the compounds carbon can form.

History and Uses

Carbon, the sixth most abundant element in the universe, has been known since
ancient times. Carbon is most commonly obtained from coal deposits, although it usually must
be processed into a form suitable for commercial use. Three naturally occurring allotropes of
carbon are known to exist: amorphous, graphite and diamond. Amorphous carbon is formed
when a material containing carbon is burned without enough oxygen for it to burn completely.
This black soot, also known as lampblack, gas black, channel black or carbon black, is used to
make inks, paints and rubber products. It can also be pressed into shapes and is used to form
the cores of driest cell batteries, among other things.

Graphite, one of the softest materials known, is a form of carbon that is primarily used
as a lubricant. Although it does occur naturally, most commercial graphite is produced by
treating petroleum coke, a black tar residue remaining after the refinement of crude oil, in an
oxygen-free oven. Naturally occurring graphite occurs in two forms, alpha and beta. These two
forms have identical physical properties but different crystal structures. All artificially
produced graphite is of the alpha type. In addition to its use as a lubricant, graphite, in a form
known as coke, is used in large amounts in the production of steel. Coke is made by heating
soft coal in an oven without allowing oxygen to mix with it. Although commonly called lead,
the black material used in pencils is actually graphite.

Diamond, the third naturally occurring form of carbon, is one of the hardest substances
known. Although naturally occurring diamond is typically used for jewelry, most commercial
quality diamonds are artificially produced. These small diamonds are made by squeezing
graphite under high temperatures and pressures for several days or weeks and are primarily
used to make things like diamond tipped saw blades. Although they possess very different
physical properties, graphite and diamond differ only in their crystal structure.

A fourth allotrope of carbon, known as white carbon, was produced in 1969. It is a

transparent material that can split a single beam of light into two beams, a property known as
birefringence. Very little is known about this form of carbon. Large molecules consisting only
of carbon, known as buck balls, have recently been discovered and are currently the subject
of much scientific interest. A single buckyballs consists of 60 or 70 carbon atoms (C60 or
C70) linked together in a structure that looks like a soccer ball. They can trap other atoms
within their framework, appear to be capable of withstanding great pressures and have
magnetic and superconductive properties.

Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon with a half-life of 5,730 years, is used to

find the age of formerly living things through a process known as radiocarbon dating. The
theory behind carbon dating is fairly simple. Scientists know that a small amount of naturally
occurring carbon is carbon-14. Although carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14 through beta
decay, the amount of carbon-14 in the environment remains constant because new carbon-14
is always being created in the upper atmosphere by cosmic rays. Living things tend to ingest
materials that contain carbon, so the percentage of carbon-14 within living things is the same
as the percentage of carbon-14 in the environment.
 There are nearly ten million known carbon compounds and an entire branch of
chemistry, known as organic chemistry, is devoted to their study. Many carbon compounds
are essential for life as we know it. Some of the most common carbon compounds are: carbon
dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon disulfide (CS2), chloroform (CHCl3), carbon
tetrachloride (CCl4), methane (CH4), ethylene (C2H4), acetylene (C2H2), benzene (C6H6),
ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) and acetic acid (CH3COOH).

Why Carbon is Cool?

Carbon is so important because its atomic structure gives it bonding properties that are
unique among elements. Each carbon molecule has four unpaired electrons in its outer energy
shell. Therefore, carbon atoms can form covalent bonds with up to four other atoms, including
other carbon atoms. Carbon-based molecules have three fundamental structures—straight
chains, branched chains, and rings.

Carbon has a few unique bonding properties -the most important of which is its ability
to form long chains of carbon. No other elements can do this. Silicon has the ability to
theoretically do this, but silicon-oxygen bonds are so strong that silicon would much prefer to
make Si -O -Si bonds than silicon-silicon bonds. The reason carbon can do this is that carbon-
carbon bonds are extremely strong. This allows carbon to make up many of the basic building
blocks of life (fats, sugars, etc). Also, because carbon makes four bonds, it is able to exist in
many different forms called isomers. No other element naturally does this as much as carbon.
Bonding of Carbon with itself: Allotropy

Allotropy is a behavior exhibited by certain chemical elements: these elements can

exist in two or more different forms, known as allotropes of that element. When an element
exists in more than one crystalline form, those forms are called allotropes. In each different
allotrope, the element's atoms are bonded together in a different manner. Allotropes are
different structural modifications of an element. Carbon is an element that exhibits allotropy.
Some of its allotropes are shown below:

The physical properties of this element vary according to its allotropes. The two major
allotropes are diamond and graphite. These two have almost opposing physical properties.

•Whereas diamond is transparent and has no color, graphite is opaque and black.
•Diamond is the hardest substance known to man, graphite is soft and spongy in texture.
•Now diamond cannot conduct electricity at all, graphite is a very good conductor of
electricity.
•Both allotropic elements are solid, non-gaseous.
 The carbon atom has six electrons, of which four are available for bonding.
To reach electronic stability, carbon atoms must share four electrons from other
atoms. (The gaining or losing of four electrons requires too much energy in such a
small atom). Carbon, therefore, forms four (two-electron) bonds to other atoms,
which may be single (one shared pair), double (two shared pairs) or triple (three
shared pairs).

•Also, both diamond and graphite are insoluble in water.

Lewis Dot Structure and Molecular

Models for Methane (the simplest
alkane):

Carbon chains form the skeletons of most organic molecules.

Carbon chains also vary in length and shape. Below are the examples of carbon chains
in different orientations:
 Straight
Chain

Alkanes
See below for the table that gives the names of the straight chain alkanes. The general
formula for an alkane is CnH2n+2 where n is the number of carbon atoms in the molecule.
There are two ways of writing a condensed structural formula. For example, butane may be
written as CH3CH2CH2CH3or CH3(CH2)2CH3.

Practice Exercises/Activity
Activity No. 1
Determine what kind of carbon allotropes are the given pictures below based on its
different structural modifications. Write your answer in a separate sheet of paper.
Activity No. 2

Draw the shape of the three fundamental structures of carbon-based molecules

(straight chains, rings, and branched chains). After that, draw one thing that resembles
the said structures that you commonly see in your daily lives. Draw your answer in a separate
sheet of neat paper.

Engage
Carbon atoms have special abilities: carbon atoms can form chemical bonds with other
carbon atoms and other nonmetal atoms in many ways. They can form single, double, and
triple bonds. These abilities of carbon atoms are the reasons why there are so many kinds of
organic compounds.
Organic compounds are compounds that are primarily composed of carbon atoms,
which are chemically bonded with hydrogen and other elements such as oxygen, sulfur and
nitrogen. Organic compounds are naturally produced by living organisms, but can also be
produced artificially.
Hydrocarbons are a specific group of organic compounds which contain carbon and
hydrogen only. Alkanes, Alkenes, and Alkynes are the three basic groups of hydrocarbon
compounds.
 Apply
Part 1: Given the value of n, write the names and molecular formulas of straight chain
alkanes.

1. If n = 2,
a. Name? b. Molecular Formula?
2. If n = 4,
a. Name? b. Molecular Formula?
3. If n = 5,
a. Name? b. Molecular Formula?
4. If n = 7,
a. Name? b. Molecular Formula?
4. If n = 9,
a. Name? b. Molecular Formula?
Part 2: Complete the chart below:
Hydrocarbon Chemical Expanded Structural Formula
Formula

1. Methane b.

a.CH₄
a. C₂H₆ b.

2. Ethane
a. C2H4 b.

3. Ethene
a. C2H2

4. Ethyne b.
5. Propane a. C3H8

b.
6. Propene a. C3H6

b.
Post Test
Directions: Read the sentences carefully. CHOOSE the letter of the correct answer from the
choices given. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. How many electrons does a carbon atom have?

A. 4 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8
2. Of those six electrons, how many are valence electrons?
A. 4 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8
3. How many more electrons does carbon need to complete its valence shell?
A. It needs three. B. It needs four. C. It needs five. D. It needs five.
4. How many bonds can it make with other atoms?
A. It can make up to four bonds.
B. It can make up to five bonds.
C. It can make up to six bonds.
D. It can make up to seven bonds.
5. How many more electrons does hydrogen need to complete its
valence shell? A. It needs one more.
B. It needs two more.
C. It needs three more.
D. It needs five more.
6. How many electrons does hydrogen have?
A. It has one. B. It has two. C. It has three. D. It has four.
7. How many bonds does hydrogen make with other atoms? A. It
makes one bond.
B. It makes two bond.
C. It makes three bond.
D. It makes four bond.
8. Which of the following statements best describe organic
compounds?
A. Organic compounds are compounds that contain carbon and oxygen only
B. Organic compounds are compounds that are produced by living things
C. Organic compounds are composed mainly of carbon and hydrogenD. Organic
compounds are compounds that contain carbon atoms only
9. Which are TRUE about organic compounds?I. organic compounds
contain calcium
II. organic compounds contain carbon
III. organic compounds can be produced by living organisms
IV. organic compounds can be produced artificially
A. I, II and III only B. I and III only C. II and III only D. II, III and IV only
10. Why are carbon atoms able to form many organic compounds?
A. carbon atoms have strong attraction to other elements
B. carbon atoms attract electrons from other atoms
C. carbon atoms can form many types of bonds with other carbon
D. none of the above
11. What is the maximum number of bonds a carbon atom can form?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
12. Which hydrocarbon compound has a triple bond in the molecule?
A. octane B. methane C. ethane D. ethyne
13. Which hydrocarbon compound has a double bond in the molecule?
A. octane B. methane C. ethane D. ethyne
14. How many types of bonds are there in the following hydrocarbon compound?
A. 1 C. 3
B. 2 D. 4
15. To which group of hydrocarbon does the molecule with the
structurebelong?
A. octane B. methane C. ethane D. ethyne
 Answer Key
Learning Task 1: Part 2:
1. Buckballs C70 Chemical Formula Expanded Structural Formula
2. Buckballs C60
3.Lonsdaleite
4. Graphite 1. a.CH₄ b.

5. Diamond6.Amorphous Carbon

Learning Task 2:

What Can I Do Part 1: 2. a. C₂H₆ b.

1. a. Ethane b.
C2H6
2. a. Butane b.
C4H10 3. a. C2H4 b.
3. a. Pentane
b. C5H12
4. a.
4. a. C2H2 b.
Heptane
b. C7H16
5. a.Nonane b. C9H20
5. a. C3H8 b.

Post Test
1. B 5. A
11. C
2. A 6. A
12. D 6. a. C3H6 b.
3. B 7. A 13. D
4. A 8. C 14. B
5. A 9. D 15. B
10. C