Which of the following statements correctly describes the Lewis dot structure of ethanol (C2H5OH)?

• A. The oxygen atom is bonded to two carbon atoms and has no lone pairs of electrons.
• B. The oxygen atom is bonded to one hydrogen atom and one carbon atom, and has two lone pairs of electrons.
• C. Each carbon atom in ethanol has three lone pairs of electrons.
• D. The hydrogen atoms are directly bonded to the oxygen atom only, with no hydrogens bonded to carbon.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the Lewis dot structure represents atoms, their valence electrons, bonds between atoms, and lone pairs of electrons.
2. Identify the molecular formula of ethanol: C2H5OH, which means there are two carbon atoms, six hydrogen atoms, and one oxygen atom.
3. Understand the bonding: In ethanol, one oxygen atom is bonded to one carbon atom and one hydrogen atom, not two carbons or multiple hydrogens bonded to oxygen.
4. Recognize that oxygen typically has two lone pairs of electrons in its Lewis structure, which are non-bonding pairs that complete its octet.
5. Note that carbon atoms form four bonds each (either with hydrogen or carbon), and do not have lone pairs; hydrogen atoms form only one bond each, usually to carbon or oxygen.