Britannica Sources used in this answer

How does the structural formula of ethane show its bonds?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

structural formulas of some organic compounds — organic compound The structures of organic compounds can be depicted in condensed, expanded, and three-dimensional structural formulas.

In the structural formulas of organic compounds, short lines are used to represent covalent bonds, while chemical symbols denote the atoms involved.12

For ethane, which has the molecular formula $C_{2} H_{6}$ , the structural formula illustrates how the atoms are linked. In a simplified two-dimensional representation, the formula shows two carbon atoms bonded to one another, with each carbon atom also bonded to three hydrogen atoms.12

While this two-dimensional version correctly displays the bonding arrangement, it does not convey the molecule's three-dimensional architecture. More sophisticated structural formulas are used to represent the specific geometry of the molecule, showing the tetrahedral orientation of the four atoms bonded to each carbon atom. This tetrahedral arrangement is a fundamental feature of carbon bonding, where the four bonds of a carbon atom are directed toward the corners of a tetrahedron with angles of approximately 109.5°.123