Question

Can someone help me please:
How many total valence electrons, total domains, total bonded atoms, and lone pairs for compound SiH4

Answer 1

I already know that there are 8 valence electrons and maybe 0 lone pairs, but i need to figure out how many total domains there are and how many total bonded atoms

Answer 2

Can you draw the structure first?

Answer 3

Yes this is how i drew it: https://snipboard.io/LONCvu.jpg

Answer 4

Good! How many electron pairs are there?

A pair of electrons = 2 electrons

And of those pairs, how many of them are bonded and how many are a lone pair?

Answer 5

There are 4 sets of 2 electrons

Answer 6

Are they all bonded pairs?

Answer 7

Yes i believe they are

Answer 8

The total domains refers to how many pairs of electrons there are and includes bonded pairs as well as non-bonded pairs of electrons.

total bonded atoms refers to how many atoms (that is hydrogen in this question) are bonded to the central atom (which is silicon).

Answer 9

Can you answer your question now?

Answer 10

So i feel like there are 4 total bonded atoms

Answer 11

And i believe that there are 0 lone pairs

Answer 12

So with saying that there are 4 total domains am i correct?

Answer 13

Correct!

All the valence electrons are bonded and thus there are no lone pairs.

Answer 14

Good job!

Answer 15

Thanks you for the help

Answer 16

It was my pleasure!

Answer 17

Wait what is the molecular structure (or shape) of SiH4 and also the VSEPR (or electron geometry)

Answer 18

When there are no lone pairs, the molecular structure is the same as the electron geometry.

If there are lone pairs, then the molecular structure depends on how many lone pairs.

We have 4 electron domains so what would the shape of SiH4 be?

Answer 19

AX4 just stands for the type of molecule such as SiH4 or CH4

Tetrahedral is correct

Answer 20

Ok thanks

Answer 21

You're welcome!