How many total valence electrons are present in a molecule of CCl_4?

• A. 24
• B. 32
• C. 28
• D. 40

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the number of valence electrons for each atom in the molecule. Carbon (C) is in group 14 and has 4 valence electrons, while chlorine (Cl) is in group 17 and has 7 valence electrons each.
2. Determine the total number of valence electrons contributed by all chlorine atoms. Since there are 4 chlorine atoms in CCl_4, multiply the valence electrons of one chlorine atom by 4: \$7 \times 4$.
3. Add the valence electrons from the carbon atom to the total from the chlorine atoms to get the total valence electrons in the molecule: \$4 + (7 \times 4)$.
4. Write the full expression for the total valence electrons in CCl_4: \$4 + 4 \times 7$.
5. Calculate the sum to find the total number of valence electrons present in the molecule (do not provide the final number here, just the method).