Question

What do you understand by bond pairs and lone pairs of electrons? Illustrate by giving one example of each type.

Answer 1

Two atoms share one electron each to form a covalent bond.
The electrons present in the covalent bond are known as bond pair of electrons.
For example, in methane, there are four C-H covalent bonds.
Thus, in methane molecule, four bond pairs of electrons are present.
The electron pairs left in the valence shell without forming the bond are known as lone pairs of electrons.
For example, ammonia molecule has one lone pair of electrons and water molecule has two lone pairs of electrons.