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Electron-Dot Diagrams
A molecule's shape is determined by the way its electron pairs are arranged. This arrangement can be
represented by an electron-dot diagram.

Electron-dot diagrams (also called Lewis structures) represent the valence electron arrangement in elements, molecules, and ions.
For an element, the electron-dot diagram simply shows how many valence electrons the atom has. The diagram below shows electron-
dot diagrams for six elements in the second period of the periodic table.

Electron-dot Diagrams & Molecules

Electron-dot diagrams and structural formulas are often used to show the arrangement of atoms within a covalent molecule. The
pictures below show the electron-dot diagram and the structural formula for methane, CH4.

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