Question

When it is strongly heated, methyl diazoacetate decomposes to give a nitrogen gas and a carbene. Draw a Lewis structure of the carbene.

Short answer

Carbenes may be defined as a neutral divalent chemical species containing a carbon atom consisting six electrons in their valence shell. Out of six electrons, two electrons are unshared. The simplest carbene is methylene .

Step-by-step solution

Carbenes

Carbenes may be defined as a neutral divalent chemical species containing a carbon atom consisting six electrons in their valence shell. Out of six electrons, two electrons are unshared. The simplest carbene is methylene .

Lewis structures

The formation of covalent bond in molecules is shown in an easier way by Lewis structures. The valence electrons are represented by dots in the Lewis structure and one bond is represented as two electrons. In drawing Lewis structures, the atoms are arranged in such a way that all of them have eight valence electrons. The exception is with hydrogen, which can have a maximum of two valence electrons.

Decomposition of methyl diazoacetate to nitrogen and carbene

Lewis structure of carbene