Consider a nitrogen atom in a molecule of ammonia (NH_3). Does the nitrogen atom satisfy the octet rule? Why or why not?

• A. Yes, because nitrogen shares all its electrons with hydrogen atoms.
• B. No, because nitrogen cannot form enough bonds to reach eight valence electrons.
• C. Yes, because nitrogen has eight electrons in its valence shell after forming three single bonds with hydrogen atoms and retaining one lone pair.
• D. No, because nitrogen only has six electrons in its valence shell in ammonia.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the valence electrons of a nitrogen atom before bonding. Nitrogen is in group 15 of the periodic table, so it has 5 valence electrons.
2. Consider the bonding in ammonia (NH_3). Nitrogen forms three single covalent bonds with three hydrogen atoms. Each bond involves sharing one electron from nitrogen and one from hydrogen.
3. Count the electrons around nitrogen after bonding. Each of the three N-H bonds contributes 2 electrons (one from N and one from H), so nitrogen shares 6 electrons through bonding.
4. Remember that nitrogen also has a lone pair of electrons (2 electrons) that are not involved in bonding but still belong to nitrogen's valence shell.
5. Add the bonding electrons and the lone pair electrons to determine if nitrogen satisfies the octet rule: 6 electrons from bonds + 2 electrons from the lone pair = 8 electrons total, which means nitrogen satisfies the octet rule in ammonia.