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 PO₄^3-

Video: Drawing the Lewis Structure for PO₄^3-

For the PO4 3- Lewis structure use the periodic table to find the total number of valence electrons for the PO4 3- molecule. Once we know how many valence electrons there are in PO4 3- we can distribute them around the central atom with the goal of filling the outer shells of each atom.

In the Lewis structure of PO43- there are a total of 32 valence electrons.

For the Lewis structure for PO4 3- you should take formal charges into account to find the best Lewis structure for the molecule. Remember, PO4 3- has a negative three charge on the molecule. For the Lewis structure you'll need to have a total charge for the molecule of 3-.

It is helpful if you:

• Try to draw the PO₄^3- Lewis structure before watching the video.
• Watch the video and see if you missed any steps or information.
• Try structures similar to PO₄^3- 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