Diagram of CCl4???

Question

The directions say, "if squares represent carbon, and spheres represent chlorine, make a representation of liquid CCl4.

I had no idea how to start it, so i looked at the example of KCl.

It has square...sphere..square..sphere...til the row of ten is filled up.

and then on top of it, in the next row it goes square..sphere...until there are 3 square, and 3 spheres.

I know this sounds really confusing, and i'm sorry if it is. But i am lost myself. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!!

Answer 1

You imagine a regular tetrahedron. It is a volume composed of four equilateral triangles. You put the atom of carbon in the center of tetrahedron and the four hydrogens at the summits

look at my link .You have molecule CH4. CCl4 same replacing H by Cl

Answer 2

Think of a box with the carbon atom in the middle. Now put Cl atoms at 4 corners, with no Cl on adjacent corners. This makes it easy!

This is the was the MCAS system works. There is no hybridization as the orbitals are already in the necessary tetrahedral configuration. The spdf model had to "HYBRIDIZED" (a word for correcting the wrong initial model) to allow molecular modeling to be accomplished.

It is interesting that the puzzle suggested using a box. That should have been the clue to those scientists long ago who worked on the first modeling. Unfortunately, the physicists who did the atom did not rethink the model in terms of molecular requirements. If they had the spdf model would have been eliminated and the MCAS model adopted.  

Answer 3

It is not easy (or perhaps even possible) to draw a structure in this forum. These carbon compounds have the following structure:In the carbon tetrachloride molecule, four chlorine atoms are positioned symmetrically as corners in a tetrahedral configuration joined to a carbon atom, in the center, by single covalent bonds. This means that the carbon atom is surrounded by Cl atoms arranged so that 3 of the atoms form a "tripod" on which the molecule sits, with the fourth Cl atom sticking up vertically. No matter which way you turn the molecule, it will always have this configuration.