BIO-111 Basic Chemistry POGIL

Read​ ​OpenStax Biology Chapter 2 – The Chemical Foundation of Life

(https://cnx.org/contents/jVCgr5SL@15.43:KKiMuODV@9/Introduction) before attempting this
assignment. Other than referencing a periodic table of elements, you should be able to work
through this activity without having to look the answers up. It’s OK to use any resource for
completing this activity, but make sure you understand how to get the answers.

Part I – Electron Shell Models

Figure 1 Electron Shell Model of an Atom

How many electrons are in this atom?

What charge do electrons have?

-1
Assuming this is an uncharged atom, how many protons must it have?

What is its atomic number?

What atom is it? (Hint: look up its atomic number on a periodic table of the elements.)

According to the Octet Rule, how many electrons does this atom need to fill its outermost
electron shell?

5
Figure 2 Periodic Table of the Elements

What is the atomic number of oxygen (O)?

 8

How many protons are in oxygen?

How many electrons are in oxygen?

2,6

Draw an electron shell model of oxygen.

(I can’t scan anything in at the moment, so I will explain it) Because there are eight electrons in
oxygen, there are two electrons on the inner shell, and four on the outer.

Look at your model. How many electron vacancies does oxygen have in its outermost shell?

Draw electron shell models for the following elements hydrogen, carbon, sodium, potassium.

Hydrogen: 1 outer

Carbon: 2 inner, 4 outer

Sodium:2 inner, 8 outer, 1 outer

Potassium: 2 inner, 8, 8, 1 outer

Part II – Covalent Bonds

One way for an atom to fill its outermost shell is to share pairs of electrons in covalent bonds
with other atoms. Every covalent bond it forms brings the atom one electron closer to filling its
outermost shell. Using this information, predict the number of covalent bonds each of the
following atoms will form:
Carbon - 4
Oxygen - 2
Hydrogen - 1
Nitrogen – 3

Figure 3. Single covalent bonds form a water molecule. Only valence electrons are shown
in this diagram.

What does the “2” in H2O mean?

Two atoms

How many single covalent bonds are there in a molecule of H2O? Where are they?

Two single covalent bonds. The two red and white pairs.

Look at each atom individually and count the number of electrons in the outermost shell,
including shared electrons. Recall that the first shell holds a maximum of 2 electrons and the
second shell holds 8. Does each atom in a water molecule have a full outermost electron shell?

Yes

Draw an electron shell model similar to the one above for CH​4​.
Two inner, 8 outer (shown as pairs of two)

Figure 4. Double covalent bonds forming molecular oxygen.

How many electrons are shared in a double covalent bond?

2 electrons
19. Draw an electron shell model similar to the one above for CO2.
The 2 Oxygen Circles have 2 on the inner shell and 4 outer shell. The Carbon Circle in between
has 2 one the inner shell, 8 outer shell.

20. Electrons can also be shared in triple covalent bonds. How many pairs of electrons would be
shared in a triple covalent bond?

Draw an electron shell model for N​2​.

2 on the inner circle, then five on the outer circles.

Part III – Simplifying Molecular Diagrams

Carbon-based molecules can be large and complex and even fold backwards on themselves to
form ring structures such as the molecules below.

These molecules can become so large that it is easier to depict them in short-hand notation as
simple pentagons or hexagon
Glucose (C6H12O6) is a molecule that can form a ring structure. Draw a molecule of glucose in
its ring form. Be sure to include ​all​ the atoms that make it up.