Lewis Dot Structures and

Molecular Geometries
Lewis Dot Structures

 Created by Gilbert Lewis in 1916

 Shows structural formulas for compounds

 Arrangement of atoms and bonds within a compound

Structural formula for

Methane, CH4
Lewis Dot Structures

 Uses valence electrons

 One dot = one valence electron
 One dash = a covalent bond = two electrons
 Lewis Dot Structures

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Practice

 How many dots will the following elements contain?

 Fluorine

 Boron

 Carbon
 Practice
 How many dots will the following elements contain?
 Fluorine
 7
 Boron
 3
 Carbon
 4

 Equal to number of valence electrons

 For main groups, equal to last number of group number
Lewis Structures

 Lewis structures show how valence electrons are arranged

among atoms in a molecule.

 Lewis structures reflect the idea that stability of a compound

relates to the octet rule

 Shared electrons pairs are covalent bonds and can be

represented by two dots (:) or by a single line ( - )
 HONC, HONC..
 The HONC Rule

 Hydrogen (and Halogens) form one covalent

bond
 Oxygen (and sulfur) form two covalent bonds
 One double bond, or two single bonds

 Nitrogen (and phosphorus) form three

covalent bonds
 One triple bond, or three single bonds, or one double bond and one single bond

 Carbon (and silicon) form four covalent bonds.

 Two double bonds, or four single bonds, or one triple and one single, or one double and two
singles
 Lewis Dot Structures - Compounds

 Make the atom wanting the most bonds the central atom (if more
than 2 total atoms)

 Draw proper number of dots (= valence electrons around each

atom).

 Join atoms on the outside with the central atom using electron
pairs, obeying the HONC rule

 Make sure every atom has a full valence shell (2 e- for H, 8 for
everything else)
 Boron the only exception we’ll cover, he gets 6 valence electrons
Additional Note on Octet Rule

 Atoms in the third row and below can disobey the octet rule at
various times. We will not cover those structures in this course.
Draw Lewis Structure for
Molecular compounds
 1 Count total valence electrons.
 2 Draw central atom and surrounding atoms; single bonds to
start.
 3 Add lone pairs to complete octets of outer atoms until they are
full.
 4 If you have extra electrons, put on center atom.
 5 If incomplete octet on center, move lone pairs into bonds.
Examples – On Board

 H2O
 NH3
 BH3
 CCl4
 CO2
 HCN
 Diatomics
Examples
Molecular Geometry

 Based on Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory

 Electron pairs around a central atom arrange themselves so they

can be as far apart as possible from each other.
Molecular Geometry

 You will be responsible for five molecular

shapes
 Compounds take a three-dimensional shape
based on:
 Number of atoms attached
 Number of unbonded electrons present

 These are general rules for binary

compounds
 There are always exceptions!!! (including organics)
 Linear

 Carbon is central atom

 Surrounded by two oxygen atoms
 No unbonded electrons on carbon
 Look for AX2 geometry
 Central atom is group 14
 Bent

 Oxygen is central atom

 Central atom is typically group 16.
 Surrounded by two atoms (H or halogen)
 Two unbonded electron pairs on oxygen, push hydrogens out of the plane
 Bent vs. Linear
What’s The Difference?
 Both have a similar
Unbonded electrons formula (AX2)
on oxygen  Look at the central atom No unbonded electrons
on carbon
 If the element is group 14,
it is linear

 If the element is group 16,

Linear
it is bent
Bent
 Look for presence or
absence of unbonded
electrons
 Write all

Trigonal Pyramidal

 Nitrogen surrounded by three hydrogen atoms (or

halogens)
 One pair of unbonded electrons, push hydrogens out
of plane

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 Trigonal Planar

 Boron is central atom surrounded by three

fluorine atoms (or H or other halogen)
 Boron can defy octet rule, happy with six
electrons
 No unbonded electrons on boron, fluorine atoms
stay within a single plane
Planar vs. Pyramidal

 Both have similar formula (AX3)

 Look at the central atom

 If it has unbonded electrons, it
will be trigonal pyramidal
No unbonded
 If it doesn’t have unbonded Electrons on boron
electrons (only boron!), it will
be trigonal planar
 Tetrahedral

 AX4 formula
 Carbon (or silicon) surrounded by four hydrogens (or
halogens)
 Only shape we’re concerned with four surrounding atoms

http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/204tetrahedral.html
Molecular Geometry Diagram Description Example

Linear(AX2) 2 outside atoms CO2

0 lone pairs

Bent (AX2) 2 outside atoms H2O

2 lone pairs

trigonal planar 3 outside atoms BF3

0 lone pairs
(AX3, A = boron)

Tetrahedral (AX4) 4 outside atoms CH4

0 lone pairs

trigonal 3 outside atoms NH3

pyramidal (AX3) 1 lone pair
Write all

Polarity

 Bond Polarity

 Difference in electronegativity
between two atoms in a
chemical bond
 Unequal sharing of electrons between elements
Write all

Bond Polarity
 Ionic
 Elements on opposite sides of periodic table (metal + nonmetal)
 Examples
 NaCl, LiF, ZnCl
 Polar Covalent (unequal sharing)
 Two elements on right side (both nonmetals) of periodic table
 C-O, S-O, P-Br
 Nonpolar covalent (equal sharing)
 Two of the same element on the right side of the periodic table
 H-H, Cl-Cl, O=O
Write all

Molecular Polarities

 Polar molecules occur when electrons are NOT

distributed equally
 Look for symmetry within molecule
 Only one line of symmetry – Polar molecule

 Polar shapes
 Trigonal pyramidal
 Bent

 These rules will apply regardless of the number of

atoms on the molecule with these shapes
Write all
Molecular Polarities

 Nonpolar molecules occur when electrons are

distributed equally
 Look for symmetry within molecule
 More than one line of symmetry – Nonpolar molecule
 Nonpolar shapes
 Linear
 Trigonal Planar
 Tetrahedral
 These are just guidelines for binary compounds (two
elements). Compounds with multiple elements and
organics do not apply to these rules.
Skills to Master

 Drawing Lewis dot structures from a given molecular formula

 Assigning a shape based on a molecular formula (or Lewis dot
structure)
 Determine whether a bond is polar or nonpolar
 Determine whether a molecule is polar or nonpolar based on
formula (or Lewis dot structure)
Terms To Know
 Lewis Dot Structure
 Structural formula
 Linear
 Bent
 Trigonal pyramidal
 Trigonal planar
 Tetrahedral
 Polarity
 Electronegativity (review)
 Polar
 Polar covalent
 Nonpolar
 Nonpolar covalent