CH₃OH Lewis Structure

Methanol (methyl alcohol, wood alcohol) · The simplest alcohol - a fuel, a solvent, and poisonous to drink.

• 14 valence e−
• tetrahedral
• 109.5° bond angle
• sp³
• polar

Calculated properties

How to draw the CH₃OH Lewis structure

Step through it. The bar shows how much of the 14-electron budget is spent at each stage - it never grows, which is the whole constraint.

The reasoning at each step

1. Count the valence electrons

   Add up the outer-shell electrons every atom brings. That total is the budget for the whole structure - every line and every dot has to come out of it, and nothing may be added.

   4 (C) + 4 x 1 (H) + 6 (O) = 14 valence electrons

2. Work out what is bonded to what

   Methanol is CH3–O–H: carbon carries three hydrogens and the oxygen, and the fourth hydrogen is on the oxygen.

3. Join everything with single bonds first

   Every connection starts as one shared pair. Draw them all before worrying about double bonds - the arithmetic in the next step is what tells you where the double bonds have to go.

   5 bonds x 2 = 10 electrons used, 4 left

4. Work out how far short you are

   Add up what every atom still needs to fill its shell - eight electrons for most atoms, two for hydrogen - minus what its single bonds already give it. Compare that with the electrons you have left. The difference decides everything that follows.

   needs 4, has 4, exactly enough

5. Fill in the lone pairs

   Every electron not in a bond sits as a lone pair on an atom. Each atom takes exactly what it needs to finish its shell - there is no choice left at this point.

   O: 2 (4 electrons)

6. Check the formal charges

   Formal charge is valence electrons, minus lone-pair electrons, minus the number of bonds. Every atom here comes out at zero, which is the sign of a good structure.

   all formal charges = 0

7. Work out the shape

   Count the electron domains on C: 4 bonded groups. A double or triple bond still counts as one domain, because it points in one direction. That gives tetrahedral electron geometry; ignore the lone pairs and the atoms themselves sit in a tetrahedral arrangement.

   steric number 4 -> sp3 -> tetrahedral, bond angle 109.5

8. Decide whether it is polar

   The atoms around the centre are not all the same, so the bond dipoles are different sizes and cannot cancel.

   dipoles do not cancel -> polar

Is CH₃OH polar or nonpolar?

CH₃OH is polar. The atoms around the centre are not all the same, so the bond dipoles are different sizes and cannot cancel.

Common questions

How many valence electrons does CH₃OH have?

CH₃OH has 14 valence electrons. 10 of them are in bonds and 4 sit in lone pairs.

What is the molecular geometry of CH₃OH?

CH₃OH is a tetrahedral molecule. The central C has 4 bonded groups, a steric number of 4, which gives tetrahedral electron geometry and a tetrahedral molecule.

What is the bond angle in CH₃OH?

The bond angle in CH₃OH is 109.5 degrees. That is the ideal tetrahedral angle, and nothing distorts it here.

What is the hybridization of CH₃OH?

The central C in CH₃OH is sp³ hybridized. Steric number 4 means 4 orbitals have to be mixed, which is exactly what sp³ gives you.

Is CH₃OH polar or nonpolar?

CH₃OH is polar. The atoms around the centre are not all the same, so the bond dipoles are different sizes and cannot cancel.

Related molecules

• CH₄ also built around C
• CCl₄ also built around C
• C₂H₆ also built around C
• CHCl₃ also built around C
• CH₃Cl also built around C
• SiCl₄ also tetrahedral