Question

how many valence electrons does the cyanide ion (cn−) have? how many bonds are present in its lewis structure?

Answer 1

The cyanide ion (CN−) has a total of 10 valence electrons and its Lewis structure contains a triple bond between the carbon and nitrogen atoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The cyanide ion (CN−) consists of a carbon atom (C) and a nitrogen atom (N). To determine the total number of valence electrons, we must add the valence electrons of carbon (4), nitrogen (5), and one additional electron due to the -1 charge on the ion, which gives us a total of 10 valence electrons. The Lewis structure of the cyanide ion shows a triple bond between the carbon and nitrogen atoms. This triple bond consists of one sigma (σ) bond and two pi (π) bonds. Therefore, the bond order, which represents the number of chemical bonds between a pair of atoms, is 3 for CN−.

Answer 2

The cyanide ion (CN-) has 10 valence electrons and has a triple bond in its Lewis structure, which consists of one sigma bond and two pi bonds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The cyanide ion (CN-) has a total of 10 valence electrons: carbon (C) contributes 4 electrons, nitrogen (N) contributes 5 electrons, and the extra negative charge adds 1 more electron. In the Lewis structure of CN-, these electrons are arranged to form a triple bond between carbon and nitrogen, with carbon having a lone pair of electrons. This triple bond includes one sigma (σ) bond and two pi (π) bonds. The bond order of cyanide as calculated from the molecular orbital theory is 3, indicating the presence of this triple bond, analogous to that in nitrogen molecule (N2).