Textbook Problem 2.61

[Alyssa Ly 2G]

Hello!

"Methane, the most abundant hydrocarbon in the atmosphere and a potent greenhouse gas, is slowly oxidized in the air to carbon dioxide. An intermediate in the oxidation of methane to carbon dioxide is HOCO. (a) Draw the Lewis structure for this compound. (b) Decide whether the compound is a radical."

For this problem, how do we know on which molecule the unpaired electron would be placed on the Lewis structure? When I was drawing the compound, I wasn't sure if the unpaired electron would be placed on the oxygen or the carbon.

Thank you!

[katrinahuwang_1L]

When drawing out the Lewis structure, I thought that the unpaired electron would not be on the oxygen because it is unlikely for oxygen to have one lone pair, one unpaired electron, one single bond to hydrogen, and two double bonds to carbon. Due to oxygen's high electronegativity, it is more likely for carbon to have the unpaired electron and for oxygen to just have the two lone pairs that it usually does.