Table of contents

1. Intro to General Chemistry3h 48m
2. Atoms & Elements4h 16m
3. Chemical Reactions4h 10m
4. BONUS: Lab Techniques and Procedures1h 38m
5. BONUS: Mathematical Operations and Functions48m
6. Chemical Quantities & Aqueous Reactions3h 53m
7. Gases3h 49m
8. Thermochemistry2h 37m
9. Quantum Mechanics2h 58m
10. Periodic Properties of the Elements3h 9m
11. Bonding & Molecular Structure3h 29m
12. Molecular Shapes & Valence Bond Theory1h 57m
13. Liquids, Solids & Intermolecular Forces2h 23m
14. Solutions3h 1m
15. Chemical Kinetics2h 53m
16. Chemical Equilibrium2h 29m
17. Acid and Base Equilibrium5h 1m
18. Aqueous Equilibrium4h 47m
19. Chemical Thermodynamics1h 50m
20. Electrochemistry2h 42m
21. Nuclear Chemistry2h 36m
22. Organic Chemistry5h 7m
23. Chemistry of the Nonmetals2h 39m
24. Transition Metals and Coordination Compounds3h 16m

11. Bonding & Molecular Structure

Lewis Dot Structures: Neutral Compounds

General Chemistry

11. Bonding & Molecular Structure

Lewis Dot Structures: Neutral Compounds

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following Lewis dot structures correctly represents the covalent compound boron trichloride (BCl_3)?

Boron atom in the center with three double bonds to three chlorine atoms, each chlorine atom has two lone pairs, and boron has no lone pairs.

Boron atom in the center with three single bonds to three chlorine atoms, each chlorine atom has two lone pairs, and boron has one lone pair.

Boron atom in the center with three single bonds to three chlorine atoms, each chlorine atom has one lone pair, and boron has two lone pairs.

Boron atom in the center with three single bonds to three chlorine atoms, each chlorine atom has three lone pairs, and boron has no lone pairs.

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Verified step by step guidance

Step 1: Identify the total number of valence electrons available for bonding in BCl_3. Boron has 3 valence electrons, and each chlorine atom has 7 valence electrons. Since there are three chlorine atoms, total valence electrons = 3 (from B) + 3 × 7 (from Cl) = 24 electrons.

Step 2: Arrange the atoms with boron as the central atom and the three chlorine atoms surrounding it. This is because boron is less electronegative and typically forms the central atom in such compounds.

Step 3: Form single bonds between the boron atom and each chlorine atom. Each single bond consists of 2 electrons, so 3 single bonds use 6 electrons out of the total 24.

Step 4: Distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs to satisfy the octet rule for the chlorine atoms. Each chlorine atom needs 8 electrons total (including bonding electrons), so after the single bond, each chlorine will have 6 electrons as lone pairs (3 lone pairs per chlorine).

Step 5: Check the boron atom's electron count. Boron often forms stable compounds with an incomplete octet, so it will have only 6 electrons (from the three single bonds) and no lone pairs. This matches the correct Lewis structure for BCl_3.