Electron-dot(Lewis) Structure of

Covalent Molecules and Formal charge

-Atoms tend to follow the octet

rule to form bonds.
• Lewis structure are a convenient way of showing
the covalent bonds in many molecules and ions
of the representatives elements. These are not
structures, they are just models to show
chemical bonding. In writing Lewis structure,
connect the atoms in a molecule with covalent
bonds by re-arranging the valence electrons of
the atoms so that each atom has eight outer-shell
electrons around it. There are some exceptions
to this rule: hydrogen, which requires only two
electrons, and several other elements like
lithium, beryllium, and boron.
The following steps are
helpful in writing the
Lewis Structures
• 1. Obtain the total number of valence electrons to
be used in the structure. Add the number of
valence electrons of all the atoms in the molecule
or ion. If you are writing the structure of an ion,
add one electron for each negative charge or
subtract one electron for each positive charge on
the ion.
• 2. Write down the skeletal arrangement for the
atoms and connect them with a single covalent
bond (one dash for two dots). Hydrogen, which
contains only one bonding electron, can form only
one covalent bond
For example of Covalent bond (Single
covalent bond)

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) also an example

of single covalent bond
• 3. subtract two electrons for each single bond you
used in step 2 from the total number of electrons
calculated in step 1. this gives you the net number
of electrons available for completing the structure.
• 4. Distribute pairs of electron (pairs of dots)
around each atom (except H) to give each atom a
total eight electrons around it. Excess electrons
should be placed around the central atom.
• 5. If the atoms cannot have eight electrons each,
change the single bonds to double or triple bonds
by shifting nonbonding pairs of electrons as
needed. Check to see that each atom (except H)
has eight electrons around it.
• Write the Lewis Structure of Ammonia(NH3)
• Draw the Lewis Structure of water (H2O)
:Just do the tips as what I have mention a
while ago
Formal Charge
• Atoms that are covalently bonded do not always
equally share electron. In a molecule or a
polyatomic ion, some atoms have higher affinity
for electrons than the others. This results in an
uneven charge distribution within the molecule or
ion. Thus, some sites of a molecule or ion are
electron-rich, electron-poor or neutral. To
estimate this distribution, scientists developed the
concept of formal charge.
• Formal charge compares the number of
electrons “owned” by an atom in a molecule
versus those possessed by the same atom in a
free atomic state. It helps determine which
between/among the atoms in a molecule or ion
bears a neutral, positive, or negative charge.

Formal charge=(no. of valence e negative)-(no. of

unshared e negative)-1/2 (no. of shared
electrons)
• Example: find the formal charge of each atom in
Carbon dioxide, CO2.
Shapes of M olecules
• The location in the three-dimensional space of
the nucleus of each atom in a molecule defines
molecular shape or molecular geometry.
Molecular is a fundamental consideration in
many biological and industrial applications. It is
the key determinant on how enzyme fits the
specific shape of the substrate on which it
intends to act on.
Valence-shell electron pair model(VSEPR)
• This is a model developed in the 1960s for
predicting the three-dimensional shapes of
molecules from their lewis-structures. A super-
simple technique for predicting the shape or
geometry of atomic centres in small molecules
and molecular ions:
Lets find out the different
kinds of Shapes of
molecules
Two electron pairs around the central
atom
• The only simple case of this is beryllium chloride, BeF2)

2. The electronegativity difference between beryllium and

chlorine isn't enough to allow the formation of ions.
• Beryllium has 2 outer electrons because it is in group 2.
It forms bonds to two chlorines, each of which adds
another electron to the outer level of the beryllium.
There is no ionic charge to worry about, so there are 4
electrons altogether - 2 pairs.
• The two bonding pairs arrange themselves at 180° to
each other, because that's as far apart as they can get.
The molecule is described as being linear.
Three electron pairs around the central
atom
The simple cases of this would be BF3 or Boron
Trichloride (BCl3).Boron is in group 3, so starts
off with 3 electrons. It is forming 3 bonds, adding
another 3 electrons. There is no charge, so the
total is 6 electrons - in 3 pairs.
• Because it is forming 3 bonds there can be no lone
pairs. The 3 pairs arrange themselves as far apart
as possible. They all lie in one plane at 120° to each
other. The arrangement is called trigonal
planar.
Four electron pairs around the central atom

• There are lots of examples of this. The simplest

is methane, CH4. Carbon is in group 4, and so has
4 outer electrons. It is forming 4 bonds to
hydrogens, adding another 4 electrons - 8
altogether, in 4 pairs. Because it is forming 4 bonds,
these must all be bonding pairs. Four electron pairs
arrange themselves in space in what is called
a tetrahedral arrangement. A tetrahedron is a
regular triangularly-based pyramid. The carbon
atom would be at the centre and the hydrogens at
the four corners. All the bond angles are 109.5°.
• Ammonia (NH3) Nitrogen is in group 5 and so has 5
outer electrons. Each of the 3 hydrogens is adding
another electron to the nitrogen's outer level, making
a total of 8 electrons in 4 pairs. Because the nitrogen
is only forming 3 bonds, one of the pairs must be a
lone pair. The electron pairs arrange themselves in a
tetrahedral fashion as in methane. In this case, an
additional factor comes into play. Lone pairs are in
orbitals that are shorter and rounder than the orbitals
that the bonding pairs occupy. Because of this, there
is more repulsion between a lone pair and a bonding
pair than there is between two bonding pairs. That
forces the bonding pairs together slightly - reducing
the bond angle from 109.5° to 107°. It's not much, but
the examiners will expect you to know it.
Five electron pairs around the central atom

• Phosporus flouride (Pf5) Phosphorus (in group 5)

contributes 5 electrons, and the five fluorines 5
more, giving 10 electrons in 5 pairs around the
central atom. Since the phosphorus is forming five
bonds, there can't be any lone pairs. The 5 electron
pairs take up a shape described as a trigonal
bipyramid - three of the fluorines are in a plane
at 120° to each other; the other two are at right
angles to this plane. The trigonal bipyramid
therefore has two different bond angles - 120° and
90°.
Six electron pairs around the central atom

• Sulfur hexaflouride (SF6) 6 electrons in the outer

level of the sulphur, plus 1 each from the six
fluorines, makes a total of 12 - in 6 pairs. Because
the sulphur is forming 6 bonds, these are all bond
pairs. They arrange themselves entirely at 90°, in a
shape described as octahedral.