Questions tagged [lewis-structure]

For questions about determining Lewis structures (or their validity) for different chemical species. Do not use this tag if your question is about determining [oxidation-state] or [formal-charges], use the other respective tags instead.

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What is the best Lewis structure for xenon trioxide?

I was taught, and taught many others, that the best Lewis structure for XeO3 is the one with three double bonds (the hypervalent structure). When practicing AP Chemistry questions from previous exams ...
Confused_Idiot's user avatar
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Can both the chlorine atoms in 2-(Dichloromethyl)-propane be in same plane as carbon [closed]

In such a molecule, can those both chlorine atoms lie in same plane as the carbon they are attached to and will this compund have a Plane of symmetry
user140490's user avatar
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Why formal charges aren't real?

Suppose we have (CO3)2- structure, here we have one oxygen atom doubly bonded to carbon and the other two are singly bonded. In order to have complete octet , the singly bonded oxygen atoms must have ...
user1080's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
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Non-octet structures of stable nitrogen compounds

A question in my exercise book demonstrates that nitrogen cannot form non-octet structures since the most common examples — nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide — are unstable/reactive. For example, ...
Freeby Freeby's user avatar
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2 answers
100 views

Why this Lewis structure for HNO3 nitric acid is wrong? [closed]

I know that this Lewis structure of HNO3 is wrong, but I don't know the reason why, except that here the side atoms (oxygen) are connected via a bond. This structure fulfills the octet rule and also ...
Filiana's user avatar
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1 answer
71 views

How is the central atom in SNF3, Nitrogen? [closed]

Shouldn't it be Sulphur as it is larger and has ability to make more bonds due to its 6 valence electrons?
user138995's user avatar
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1 answer
72 views

What does the colon (the pairs of dots) mean in chemical structures? [closed]

What do the two dots mean, for example, the "Ö" in Wikipedia.org - Hydroxonium-cation.svg
11pro12's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
81 views

Why is it okay for the central carbon to lose a bond when forming a resonance structure for acetone?

As the title reads, I'm confused as to why it's okay for the central carbon in acetone to have a +1 formal charge when we push the electrons from one of the bonds with oxygen to form a lone pair and ...
Joe Valpuli's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why Is Hydrogen in HSO3- Connected to Oxygen Instead of Sulfur?

One of the questions in my homework was to draw $\ce{HSO3-}$, which I thought to be pretty easy. Sulfur is the least electronegative (except hydrogen but it can't be the central atom), hence it is the ...
Lyborick's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
260 views

Lewis Structure of the Guanidinium Ion

In a problem, I was asked to find the Lewis structure of the guanidinium ion $\ce{C(NH2)3}^{+1}$. I followed the following steps which led me to an incorrect structure and I was hoping someone could ...
Johnny Smith's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why does Lewis dot structure of CO not have formal charges close to 0?

If we draw the Lewis dot structure of CO like this: The formal charge on each atom must be 0 But in the actual structure, formal charge on carbon is $-1$ and formal charge on oxygen is $1$. But I ...
I am a Human's user avatar
-4 votes
4 answers
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Why does ammonium chloride form an ionic bond?

Why does $\ce{NH4Cl}$ form an ionic bond if the difference in electronegativity between nitrogen and chlorine is $0$? Shouldn't it be at least 1.7 in order for an ionic bond to form? If not what is ...
Randomdude's user avatar
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2 answers
234 views

Why does the conjugate base of peracetic acid not have any resonance structures?

Peroxyacetic acid, $\ce{CH3C(O)OOH}$ has its anion form when a proton is detached, like $\ce{CH3C(O)OO-}$. I think it can have two resonance forms like I drew (even though they have several charge ...
NIH's user avatar
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1 answer
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As per Lewis structure, can oxygen molecules in ozone be interconnected with one another through covalent single bonds?

Ozone has three oxygen molecules. Since all three are the same atom, there is no difference in electronegativity. As per theory, formation of a polar covalent bond is not possible but there are two ...
Manikandan Chandrasekaran's user avatar
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Lewis structure and resonance for arginine ion

I'm working through a problem set in MIT's open courseware 'Principles of Chemical Science' course here. In question 5, it asks: The skeletal structures of two amino acids, leucine and arginine, are ...
AlRi's user avatar
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1 answer
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Lewis structure of XeF2 that comes closer to reality?

Meanwhile, the hypervalency of Xe in XeF2 is explained by the 3c4e bond, where the p orbitals of the 3 atoms overlap to form a delocalized system of 3 MO's in which 4 electrons (two from the Xe p ...
iwab's user avatar
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1 answer
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Does formal charge or the octet rule take precedence over one another?

In my AP chem test, I had a question that asked me to find the bond order of the ion $\ce{SO3^2-}$. To draw the lewis structure, I determined that there are a total of $6+3\cdot 6+2=26$ electrons, and ...
Max0815's user avatar
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1 answer
300 views

Why is it wrong to draw the Lewis structure of a molecule's atoms and then figure out the Lewis structure of that molecule

When drawing for example the Lewis structure of nitrate ion (NO3)^-1 whould it be wrong to draw nitrogen and oxygen separately and then try to figure out the structure of the ion? In that case does ...
CaptainAmerica Whyso's user avatar
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0 answers
203 views

Molecular orbital theory and Lewis structure for dioxygen

I am a bit confused about how molecular bond theory predicts pairings of unbounded electrons. For example, in $\ce{O2}$ there are two pairs of electrons on each oxygen along with the double bond. ...
Dr. Ernesto Chinchilla's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
127 views

Does the molecule LiF3 exist? [closed]

Can LiF3 exist? (1 lithium and 3 fluorines), and if so, what would the Lewis dot diagram look like?
henry's user avatar
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A question on Lewis dot structures [closed]

In the image shown is a carboxylate ion, I don't understand why we draw 6 electrons on the oxygen and say it has a formal negative charge on it instead of putting 5 dots to represent it used one of ...
Feraminecarts's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
221 views

Efficacy of Intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction on =o, c=o bonds of ring structures?

Updated Q: Inquiring to understand the efficacy of intramolecular Friedel-Craft like reaction on stability on the ring structures with =o, c=o bonds. Keen to know if ring structures are challenged ...
bonCodigo's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why does the Lewis structure for NH2 have 4 dots and not 3? [duplicate]

Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons. So I would expect that when bonding with two hydrogens, two electrons would go into those bonds, and three would remain in place on the nitrogen. Yet, all the ...
CodyBugstein's user avatar
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0 answers
134 views

What does fractional notation represent in molecular formulas such as SiO4/2 or H2SiO2/2?

I'm going through some papers about HSQ (hydrogen silsesquioxane) and keep seeing this fractional notation being used: HSiO3/2 , SiO4/2 , H2SiO2/2 , H3SiO1/2. Example paper. I understand that the ...
Victor Pantazi's user avatar
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0 answers
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Potassium permanganate structurre

So I'm learning about Lewis structures for university. I was reading a book written by some teachers from my university and in one exercise they ask us to draw the Lewis structure for potassium ...
Josué Fuentes's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
63 views

Number of π electrons in all trans-2,4,6-octatrienoic acid

Sketch the Lewis structure of all trans-2,4,6-octatrienoic acid. (a) Consider the delocalized π electrons. Employ the particle-in-a-box model. Drawing on your knowledge about the occupation of ...
user avatar
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0 answers
433 views

What is the correct Lewis structure of difluorophosphate?

I can draw two possible Lewis structures for $\ce{PO2F2-}$ anion: What is the correct structure and why is the other one wrong?
donthababakka's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
192 views

Why is carbon dioxide a Lewis acid? [duplicate]

I know this has been asked before, but can anyone explain me in simpler terms? Why is $\ce{CO2}$ a Lewis acid? The carbon atom doesn't have any vacant orbitals to accept a lone pair. How can it be a ...
Soumil Gupta's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Oxidation State of Nitrogen in N2O

If we try to calculate the oxidation state of nitrogen in $\ce{N2O}$ using the familiar algebraic method, we get oxidation state $+1$ for both nitrogen atoms and that's what I found when I looked it ...
Physicsa's user avatar
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The covalent bond in HCl and the Lewis model

Can the formation of the covalent bond in HCl be explained through the hybridization model? We know for sure that it can be explained by the theory of molecular orbitals. In this way, it would be ...
ChemistryGeek's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Is selenium disulfide polar or non-polar?

So I saw in some internet site that $\ce{SeS2}$ is a polar molecule. When I drew the Lewis structure of the molecule, it showed up as a linear molecule like this: $$\ce{S=Se=S}$$ The electronegativity ...
Adolf's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
48 views

Why don't atoms with expanded [duplicate]

My title may be confusing, so let me explain. Let's take the molecule SO2 for example... Above, you can see that the Sulfur atom has 6 electrons from its original valence shell involved in bonding/in ...
Will Spak's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
154 views

Lewis dot structure of H3NF2 [closed]

Consider a hypothetical compound $\ce{H3NF2}$. What will be its Lewis dot structure? I'm stuck, since Nitrogen cannot exhibit pentavalence, or at least its not stable (unlike phosphorous in $\ce{H3PF2}...
Brick's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
780 views

Where do the three negative oxygens in a phosphate group get their missing electron from?

A video I watched showed the construction of a phosphate group using a Lewis structure. The oxygen with the double bond fills its octet group. The three other oxygens lack an electron. The teacher ...
Naj's user avatar
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0 answers
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Why is Cl2-P-O-Cl an unfavourable structure for POCl3?

Why is the structure $\ce{(Cl)2P - O - Cl}$ unfavourable compared to the two structures in the picture? The latter in the picture and the one I stated both have zero formal charge, so I don't really ...
catmousedog's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
474 views

Lewis structure of dinitrogen trioxide

I have a confusion related to the structure of $\ce{N2O3}.$ I was taught 1 is the correct one, but I believe 2 is better since it has no formal charge on it. Why is 1 correct and 2 wrong?
Rasputin's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
124 views

Distribution of negative charges in iodine dioxide difluoride anion [closed]

I was drawing the structure for $\ce{[IO2F2]-}.$ I'm stuck on whether the negative charge should be given to oxygen or iodine.
Paras Bisht's user avatar
-5 votes
1 answer
988 views

Molecular Structure

What's the meaning of the triangle and striped line in this structure of $\ce{H3O+}$: Can someone suggest me a site to learn about this? (I'm quite a novice in chemistry.) Thanks
Shub's user avatar
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-3 votes
1 answer
204 views

Lewis structures and chemical-compound formulas [closed]

In the Lewis structures listed below, M and X represent various elements in the third period of the periodic table. Write the formula of each compound using the chemical symbols of each element: a. b. ...
Win_odd Dhamnekar's user avatar
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0 answers
376 views

Correct representation of Lewis structure for sulphate ion

sulphate ion has tetrahedral geometry as predicted by VSEPR theory; the four S-O bonds are indistinguishable and have the same bond order, so the Lewis structure is better represented avoiding S=O ...
Fabio's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
301 views

How to draw the structure and find the oxidation number of Phosphorous in H2P2O7 [closed]

Find the Oxidation number of Phosphorus in $\ce{H2P2O7^2-}$. So I thought of drawing the lewis structure to find the oxidation numbers. Because I wasn't sure if Oxygen was bonded to a Hydrogen or not. ...
Aditya_math's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
778 views

Fastest way to determine if molecule has resonance structures [closed]

I came across this old exam problem: For which of the following choices, is every molecule a resonance hybrid with resonance structures? A. $\ce{SO2},$ $\ce{NH3},$ benzene B. $\ce{SO3^2-},$ $\ce{NH3},...
Carl's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Can methanol act as a ligand? [closed]

As methanol is both a lewis acid and a lewis base, the lewis base part suggests that it can act as a ligand as many bases are. So, is methanol a ligand? And what is the reason behind it?
TopsyTurvy's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
403 views

What is the correct electron dot notation of carbon?

My book says that the dot notation for Lewis structure of carbon has 2 possible ways: two dots on the right, one on the top, one on the left one dot on all four sides Why are both of these correct? ...
12345bird's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
391 views

Why dosen't No2 form according to the octet rule?

Supposedly every atom that is in the second period of the periodic table has to obey the octet rule, this means that they have to be surrounded by 8 electrons (or so I was taught). Studying resonance ...
Vicente Martinez's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
1k views

lewis structure of O3 [duplicate]

This is my first question, sorry if I don't know how to write a good question. why is O3 shaped like this?: and not shaped like each Oxygen molecule is connected to two other molecules? (i did not ...
Nima Bourbour's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Can this sp2 lone pair resonate?

In methyl isocyanate, $\ce{CH3CNO}$, shown below, it seems that the nitrogen lone pair can resonate with the carbon oxygen double bond, generating a resonance structure something like acetonitrile ...
Cyclopropane's user avatar
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1 answer
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Preferred Lewis structure for sulphate anion and XeO4 [closed]

In a section reviewing Lewis structure, the textbook Atkins' Physical Chemistry, 10th Edition, by Atkins, Paula, and Keeler, gives the following illustration of hypervalence and octet expansion: I ...
The Pointer's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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What is the Lewis structure of the azide ion?

On a chemistry homework, we're asked to draw the Lewis structure of $\ce{N3-}$. My answer: Nitrogen ordinarily has five electrons in its valence; $\ce{N-}$ has six. This makes a total of 16 ...
DonielF's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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Why are only two bond structures considered for ozone and not three? [duplicate]

We were taught in chemistry that: Formal charges can be determined by drawing the Lewis dot structure, then subtracting the nonbonding electrons and half of the bonding electrons from the number of ...
DonielF's user avatar
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