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Ch.8 - Covalent Compounds: Bonding Theories and Molecular Structure
Chapter 8, Problem 72

Aspirin has the following connections among atoms. Complete the electron-dot structure for aspirin, tell how many s bonds and how many p bonds the molecule contains, and tell the hybridization of each carbon atom. Chemical structure of aspirin showing atom connections for hybridization analysis.

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1
Step 1: Identify and complete the electron-dot structure for aspirin by adding lone pairs to the oxygen atoms and any other atoms that need them to satisfy the octet rule.
Step 2: Count the number of sigma (σ) bonds in the molecule. Sigma bonds are single bonds between atoms.
Step 3: Count the number of pi (π) bonds in the molecule. Pi bonds are found in double and triple bonds, with each double bond containing one pi bond and each triple bond containing two pi bonds.
Step 4: Determine the hybridization of each carbon atom. For example, a carbon atom with four single bonds (σ bonds) is sp³ hybridized, a carbon atom with one double bond and two single bonds is sp² hybridized, and a carbon atom with one triple bond or two double bonds is sp hybridized.
Step 5: Summarize the total number of sigma and pi bonds, and list the hybridization of each carbon atom in the molecule.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electron-Dot Structures

Electron-dot structures, or Lewis structures, represent the valence electrons of atoms within a molecule. They illustrate how atoms are bonded together and show lone pairs of electrons. In the case of aspirin, completing the electron-dot structure involves identifying the bonding pairs and lone pairs around each atom, which is crucial for understanding molecular geometry and reactivity.
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Types of Bonds

In chemistry, bonds between atoms can be classified as sigma (σ) and pi (π) bonds. Sigma bonds are formed by the head-on overlap of atomic orbitals and are single bonds, while pi bonds result from the side-to-side overlap of p orbitals and are found in double and triple bonds. Identifying the number of each type of bond in aspirin is essential for understanding its stability and reactivity.
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Hybridization

Hybridization is the concept of mixing atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals that can accommodate bonding. In organic molecules like aspirin, carbon atoms can exhibit different hybridizations (sp, sp², sp³) depending on their bonding environment. Determining the hybridization of each carbon atom helps predict the molecule's geometry and the angles between bonds.
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