CH4 Lewis Structure: Methane Step by Step

The CH4 Lewis structure shows a carbon atom in the centre joined to four hydrogen atoms by four single covalent bonds, with no lone pairs on carbon. Methane has 8 valence electrons in total, all of them used in the four C–H bonds. That gives carbon a full octet and each hydrogen a full shell of 2.

What is a Lewis structure?

A Lewis structure (or Lewis dot diagram) is a drawing of a molecule that shows how its valence electrons are arranged: which are shared in bonds (drawn as lines) and which sit on one atom as lone pairs (drawn as dots). The method was introduced by the American chemist Gilbert N. Lewis in 1916. Each line stands for one shared pair, which is two electrons.

How to draw the Lewis structure for methane

Use the same five steps for any simple molecule.

Step 1: Count the valence electrons

Atom	Group	Valence electrons	Number in CH4	Total
Carbon (C)	14	4	1	4
Hydrogen (H)	1	1	4	4
Total				8

You can check how many valence electrons each element has from its group in the periodic table.

Step 2: Pick the central atom

Carbon goes in the centre. Hydrogen can only form one bond, so it can never be a central atom. Carbon is also the atom that can make the most bonds (four).

Step 3: Join each hydrogen to carbon with a single bond

Draw four lines from C, one to each H. Each line uses 2 electrons, so 4 bonds × 2 = 8 electrons used.

      H
      |
  H — C — H
      |
      H

Step 4: Place any remaining electrons

8 total − 8 used = 0 left. There are no lone pairs to add anywhere.

Step 5: Check every atom's shell

• Carbon is part of 4 bonds = 8 electrons around it, a full octet.
• Each hydrogen is part of 1 bond = 2 electrons, which is full for hydrogen (the duet rule).

All the atoms are satisfied, so the structure is complete. No double bonds are needed.

What are the formal charges in CH4?

Formal charge = valence electrons − lone-pair electrons − (bonding electrons ÷ 2).

• Carbon: 4 − 0 − (8 ÷ 2) = 0
• Each hydrogen: 1 − 0 − (2 ÷ 2) = 0

Every formal charge is zero, which tells you this is the best Lewis structure for methane. It has no resonance forms.

CH4 molecular geometry

CH4 molecular geometry is tetrahedral. VSEPR theory (valence shell electron pair repulsion) says that electron pairs around a central atom push each other as far apart as possible. Carbon has 4 bonding pairs and 0 lone pairs, written AX4, and the furthest apart four pairs can get in 3D is pointing to the corners of a tetrahedron.

A flat drawing with H atoms at 90° is only a sketch. The real molecule is three-dimensional. See how AX4 compares with other shapes in our VSEPR chart.

Property	CH4 (methane)
Bonding pairs on C	4
Lone pairs on C	0
VSEPR type	AX4
Electron geometry	Tetrahedral
Molecular shape	Tetrahedral
Bond angle	109.5°
Hybridisation of C	sp³
C–H bond length	about 109 pm

What is the methane bond angle?

The methane bond angle is 109.5° (more exactly 109.47°) between any two C–H bonds. This is the perfect tetrahedral angle, because all four electron pairs are identical bonding pairs and there are no lone pairs squeezing them.

Compare it with molecules that have the same four electron pairs but some of them as lone pairs. Lone pairs repel more strongly than bonding pairs, so the angle shrinks:

• CH4: 4 bonding, 0 lone pairs → 109.5°
• NH3: 3 bonding, 1 lone pair → 107°
• H2O: 2 bonding, 2 lone pairs → 104.5°

Is CH4 polar or nonpolar?

Is CH4 polar or nonpolar? Methane is nonpolar. Carbon (electronegativity 2.55) and hydrogen (2.20) differ by only 0.35, so each C–H bond is only very slightly polar. Even that small effect cancels out, because the four bonds point symmetrically to the corners of a tetrahedron. The molecule has no overall dipole moment.

This is why methane does not dissolve well in water, and why it has a very low boiling point (−161.5 °C): only weak London dispersion forces hold its molecules together.

Why is carbon sp³ hybridised in methane?

Carbon's ground state is 1s² 2s² 2p², which has only two unpaired electrons. To make four equal bonds, one 2s electron is promoted to the empty 2p orbital, and the 2s and three 2p orbitals mix to form four identical sp³ hybrid orbitals. Each one overlaps with a hydrogen 1s orbital to make a sigma (σ) bond. That is why all four C–H bonds in methane are the same length and strength.

Common mistakes

• Adding lone pairs to carbon. There are only 8 electrons and all 8 are in bonds.
• Putting hydrogen in the centre. Hydrogen forms only one bond.
• Saying the shape is square planar because of the flat drawing. It is tetrahedral, at 109.5°.
• Calling CH4 polar because C–H bonds have a small dipole. Symmetry cancels it.
• Drawing a double bond. Carbon already has its octet from four single bonds.

Frequently asked questions

How many lone pairs are in CH4?

There are no lone pairs in CH4. Methane has 8 valence electrons (4 from carbon and 1 from each of the four hydrogens), and all 8 are used to make the four C–H single bonds. Carbon ends up with a full octet from bonding pairs alone, and each hydrogen has the 2 electrons it needs. That is why the shape is a perfect tetrahedron.

Why is the bond angle of CH4 109.5°?

The four bonding pairs around carbon repel each other equally and spread out as far as possible in three dimensions. The arrangement that keeps four pairs furthest apart is a tetrahedron, and the angle between any two corners measured from the centre is 109.5°. Because methane has no lone pairs, nothing squeezes the bonds closer, unlike NH3 (107°) or H2O (104.5°).

What type of bond is in CH4?

CH4 contains four single covalent bonds. In each C–H bond, carbon and hydrogen share one pair of electrons. They are sigma bonds, formed by an sp³ hybrid orbital on carbon overlapping a 1s orbital on hydrogen. The small electronegativity difference (0.35) means the bonds are almost nonpolar. There is no ionic character, so methane is a simple covalent molecule.

Is CH4 a tetrahedral molecule?

Yes. CH4 is the classic example of a tetrahedral molecule. Carbon sits at the centre and the four hydrogen atoms sit at the corners of a regular tetrahedron, all 109.5° apart. In VSEPR notation it is AX4: four bonded atoms and no lone pairs, so the electron geometry and the molecular shape are both tetrahedral.

Try it yourself

Open the Molecule Builder, drag one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms into the scene, and pull each hydrogen onto the carbon to bond it. When the fourth bond forms, the tool recognises methane. Rotate the molecule to see the tetrahedral shape in 3D. Then compare it with the CO2 Lewis structure, a linear molecule with double bonds, or read how ionic and covalent bonds differ.