Total number of covalent bonds in an ethane molecule is

Explanation

To determine the total number of covalent bonds in an ethane molecule (C2H6), we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Molecular Formula**:
- Ethane is a hydrocarbon with the molecular formula C2H6. This indicates that it contains 2 carbon (C) atoms and 6 hydrogen (H) atoms.

2. **Understand the Structure of Ethane**:
- Ethane consists of two carbon atoms bonded to each other and each carbon atom is also bonded to hydrogen atoms.

3. **Determine the Number of Covalent Bonds**:
- **Carbon-Carbon Bond**:
- There is 1 covalent bond between the two carbon atoms.
- **Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds**:
- Each carbon atom forms 3 covalent bonds with hydrogen atoms. Since there are 2 carbon atoms, the total number of carbon-hydrogen bonds is 2 carbon atoms × 3 hydrogen bonds per carbon = 6 covalent bonds.

4. **Calculate the Total Number of Covalent Bonds**:
- Total covalent bonds = Number of C-C bonds + Number of C-H bonds
- Total covalent bonds = 1 (C-C bond) + 6 (C-H bonds) = 7 covalent bonds.

### Final Answer:
The total number of covalent bonds in an ethane molecule is **7**.

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