Multiple Choice
Which Lewis electron-dot diagram correctly represents an atom in the ground state for a group 13 element?
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11. Bonding & Molecular Structure
Lewis Dot Structures: Neutral Compounds
Multiple Choice
How many bonding electrons are present in the Lewis structure of a neutral N_2 molecule?
A
8
B
4
C
2
D
6
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that the Lewis structure represents the valence electrons involved in bonding and lone pairs for atoms in a molecule.
Determine the total number of valence electrons for the N₂ molecule. Each nitrogen atom has 5 valence electrons, so for N₂, total valence electrons = 5 × 2 = 10.
Draw the Lewis structure by connecting the two nitrogen atoms with bonds and distributing the remaining electrons to satisfy the octet rule for each nitrogen.
Count the number of bonding pairs (shared electron pairs) between the two nitrogen atoms. Each bond corresponds to 2 bonding electrons.
Multiply the number of bonds by 2 to find the total number of bonding electrons. For N₂, there are three bonds (a triple bond), so total bonding electrons = 3 × 2.
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