draw the best lewis structure of NO₃Cl. if applicable, include lone pairs of electrons and formal charges (minimized) in the lewis structure.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
To draw the best Lewis structure of NO₃Cl, we need to consider the following steps:
Step 1: Determine the total number of valence electrons.
- Nitrogen (N) is in Group 15, so it has 5 valence electrons.
- Oxygen (O) is in Group 16, so each oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons, and there are three oxygens, contributing ( 3 \times 6 = 18 ) electrons.
- Chlorine (Cl) is in Group 17, so it has 7 valence electrons.
- Total valence electrons = ( 5 + 18 + 7 = 30 ) valence electrons.
Step 2: Determine the central atom.
- The least electronegative atom (other than hydrogen) is typically the central atom. In this case, nitrogen (N) will be the central atom.
Step 3: Connect the atoms with single bonds.
- Connect nitrogen to the three oxygen atoms with single bonds. Chlorine will be attached to one of the oxygens through a single bond. This accounts for ( 4 ) bonds, which use up ( 4 \times 2 = 8 ) electrons.
Step 4: Distribute the remaining electrons.
- After using 8 electrons for bonding, ( 30 – 8 = 22 ) electrons remain.
- Place lone pairs around the oxygen atoms and chlorine. Chlorine typically forms only one bond and has three lone pairs, while oxygen atoms will get lone pairs as well.
Step 5: Check formal charges and adjust if necessary.
- The formal charge on an atom is calculated using the formula:
[ \text{Formal charge} = \text{Valence electrons} – (\text{Lone electrons} + \frac{1}{2} \text{Bonding electrons}) ] - Aim to minimize formal charges by adjusting bonds. Typically, a double bond between nitrogen and one oxygen will reduce formal charges.
Final Lewis Structure:
The final structure shows:
- Nitrogen (N) at the center, with a double bond to one oxygen, single bonds to the other two oxygens.
- The chlorine atom is bonded to one oxygen atom.
- Each oxygen atom (except the doubly bonded one) will have lone pairs to complete their octet.
- The formal charge on nitrogen is 0, on oxygen (double-bonded) is 0, on oxygens (single-bonded) is -1, and on chlorine is 0.
This structure minimizes formal charges and satisfies the octet rule for most atoms.