Draw a Lewis structure of a covalent compound in which nitrogen has: (a) Three single bonds and

Draw a Lewis structure of a covalent compound in which...

Key Concepts

Octet Rule

The octet rule is a guideline that atoms tend to form bonds such that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, resembling the electron configuration of a noble gas. This rule helps predict the number of bonds an atom is likely to form in a molecule.

Multiple Bonds

Multiple bonds involve the sharing of more than one pair of electrons between atoms. A single bond shares one pair, a double bond shares two pairs, and a triple bond shares three pairs. The type of bond affects the molecule’s bond length, strength, and overall electron distribution.

Covalent Bonding

Covalent bonding occurs when two or more atoms share pairs of electrons in order to attain a full valence shell, leading to the formation of a stable molecule. The shared electrons allow each atom to achieve a configuration similar to the noble gases.

Valence Electrons

Valence electrons are the electrons located in the outermost shell of an atom that participate in chemical bonding. Their arrangement and number are crucial in predicting how atoms form bonds and interact with each other in molecules.

Lewis Structures

A Lewis structure is a diagram that shows the bonding between atoms and the lone pairs of electrons in a molecule. It represents the valence electrons of the atoms and is used to determine the arrangement of electrons in a molecule, which in turn influences the molecule's shape and reactivity.

Lone Pair Electrons

Lone pairs are pairs of valence electrons that are not involved in bonding between atoms. They are important in determining the geometry and reactivity of a molecule, as they occupy space around the atom and can influence bond angles.

Transcript

00:02 Hi there, in this question we want to draw the lewis structures for some covalent compounds.

00:10 And covalent of course means that electrons are shared to form bonds.

00:21 We would like to draw lewis structures, so that means dot structures.

00:25 And when we look at nitrogen, we see that nitrogen is found in group 5a on the periodic table.

00:34 Well all of the elements in group 5a, including nitrogen, have 5 valence electrons.

00:43 So when we draw lewis dot structures, we are using dots to represent the valence electrons.

00:49 Therefore nitrogen with its 5 is going to have a lone pair, and then 3 unbonded electrons.

00:58 So that means nitrogen can form 3 bonds by sharing each of these lone electrons.

01:06 So that brings us to our first one.

01:09 We want a compound in which nitrogen has 3 single bonds and that unshared pair.

01:17 That means we need 3 atoms to bond to the nitrogen and to bring in an electron to share.

01:24 So we have several possibilities here, but the quickest one that we could use is hydrogen.

01:31 Because hydrogen in group 1a just has 1 valence electron, and that would give us the formula nh3.

01:40 We see that we have 3 single bonds and 1 unshared pair of electrons out there at the top of the nitrogen.

01:48 Okay, for letter b, we want a single bond, a double bond, and an unshared pair on that nitrogen.

01:57 Alright, so we need our unshared pair, our single bond, and then we have our one unshared electron and the other one is going to be used to form that double bond.

02:13 I'm going to put these with some oxygen atoms...

Please give Ace some feedback