Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Wesley Kam (12)

Formaldehyde (Methylene Oxide)
Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is made up of 1 atom of carbon, 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen.

Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is non-metallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds.

Hydrogen is the simplest element of all, and the lightest. It is also by far the most common element in the Universe. Over 90% of the atoms in the Universe are hydrogen. In its commonest form, the hydrogen atom is made of one proton, one electron, and no neutrons. Hydrogen is the only element that can exist without neutrons. Hydrogen is a colourless, odourless gas which exists, at standard temperature and pressure, as diatomic molecules, H2. It burns and forms explosive mixtures in air and it reacts violently with oxidants. 


Oxygen,  in  its  natural  state,  is  a  colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas. Oxygen is considered to be the most important of all the elements to life. It forms about 21% of the atmosphere by volume and 23% by weight. Of  all  the  elements  in  our environment, oxygen is the most plentiful. It makes up nearly one-half of the earth’s crust and approximately one-fifth of the air we breathe.

 Carbon has 4 valence electrons, hydrogen has 1 valence electron, while oxygen has 6 valence electrons. All the constituent elements are also non-metallic Thus, I can conclude that covalent bonding is involved. 



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