Commonly Tested Lewis Structures

We draw Lewis Structures to predict:

-the shape of a molecule.

-the reactivity of a molecule and how it might interact with other molecules.

-the physical properties of a molecule such as boiling point, surface tension, etc.

Drawing the Lewis Structure for N₃^-

Video: Drawing the Lewis Structure for N₃^-

In the Lewis Structure for N3- you'll need to place a double bonds between the Nitrogen atoms to achieve full outer shells on all atoms while only using the valence electrons available for the molecule.

For the N3- Lewis structure, calculate the total number of valence electrons for the N3- molecule. After determining how many valence electrons there are in N3- , place them around the central atom to complete the octets. Be sure to use the number of available valence electrons you found earlier.

There are 16 valence electrons for the Lewis structure for N3-.

You should take formal charges into account with the Lewis structure for N3- to find the best structure for the molecule. Also note that you should put the N3- Lewis structure in brackets with as 1- on the outside to show that it is an ion with a negative one charge.

It is helpful if you:

• Try to draw the N₃^- Lewis structure before watching the video.
• Watch the video and see if you missed any steps or information.
• Try structures similar to N₃^- for more practice.

List of Lewis Structures

Acetone	BF3	BH4-	BrF5	BrO3-	C2H2	C2H4	ClO-
CH4	ClO2-	ClO2	ClO4-	CO	CS2	H2O	H3O+
HCl	HNO3	I3-	ICl4-	IF5	N2	N3-	NH2OH
NH3	NO2-	NO2	NO3-	O2	OF2	PCl5	PH3
PO33-	PO43-	SCl2	SF4	SF6	SO3	SO42-	XeF2
XeF4