Question

When carbon and oxygen bond, the molecule contains how many pairs of bonding electrons?

Answer 1

Well, it might contain three pairs of bonding electrons....

Explanation:

In carbon monoxide, `""^(-):C-=O^+`; clearly there are three bonding pairs.....

In carbon dioxide, `O=C=O`; there are four bonding pairs....

There is also carbon suboxide, `O=C=C=C=O`, there are eight bonding pairs....not that you could put this molecule in a bottle.

And in ethers, `R-O-R`, there are 2 bonding pairs....