The number of electrons present in the valence shell of carbon bearing negative charge in a carbanion is

Options

A. 4
B. 6
C. 7
D. 8

Explanation

To determine the number of electrons present in the valence shell of a carbon atom bearing a negative charge in a carbanion, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Valence Electrons of Carbon**:
- Carbon is in group 14 of the periodic table and has 4 valence electrons.

2. **Understand the Carbanion Structure**:
- A carbanion is a carbon atom that has gained an extra electron, resulting in a negative charge. This means that the carbon atom now has 5 electrons in its valence shell (4 original + 1 extra).

3. **Consider Bonding and Lone Pairs**:
- In a carbanion, the carbon atom typically forms three bonds with other atoms (bond pairs) and has one lone pair of electrons.
- Each bond pair consists of 2 electrons, contributing to the total count of electrons in the valence shell.

4. **Calculate Total Electrons**:
- The three bond pairs contribute 6 electrons (3 pairs × 2 electrons/pair).
- The lone pair contributes an additional 2 electrons (1 pair × 2 electrons).
- Therefore, the total number of electrons in the valence shell is 6 (from bond pairs) + 2 (from the lone pair) = 8 electrons.

5. **Conclusion**:
- The number of electrons present in the valence shell of carbon bearing a negative charge in a carbanion is 8.

### Final Answer:
The number of electrons present in the valence shell of carbon bearing a negative charge in a carbanion is **8**.