Tetrasulfur tetranitride, S4 N4, can be converted to disulfur dinitride, S2 N2 . Write the Lew

Tetrasulfur tetranitride, S4 N4, can be converted to...

Key Concepts

Lewis Dot Structures

Lewis dot structures are diagrams that represent the bonding between atoms and the lone pairs of electrons that may exist in a molecule. They are crucial for visualizing molecular geometry, predicting reactivity, and understanding the distribution of electrons within a molecule.

Resonance Structures

Resonance structures are different valid Lewis structures for a single molecule that depict delocalized electrons. They provide a more complete understanding of electron distribution when a single structure cannot accurately describe the bonding.

Formal Charges

Assigning formal charges involves calculating the charge on an atom within a molecule by comparing the number of electrons assigned to it in the Lewis structure with the number of valence electrons it normally has. Minimizing formal charges across a molecule leads to more stable and representative resonance structures.

Octet Rule

The octet rule is a guiding principle in constructing Lewis structures, positing that atoms tend to form bonds until they are surrounded by eight electrons, thereby achieving a stable electron configuration. While there are notable exceptions, this rule helps predict how electrons are shared or transferred between atoms.

Valence Electron Calculation

This concept involves determining the total number of valence electrons available in a molecule by summing the valence electrons for all constituent atoms. It is essential for drawing accurate Lewis structures as it sets the stage for placing bonding and nonbonding electrons in the correct positions.

Transcript

00:01 Nitrosyl chloride, or written as cln -o, is what we're going to draw the lewis structure of to start with.

00:13 In order to draw the lewis structure, we're going to need to know how many valence electrons should be in our lewis structure.

00:19 So i've got a periodic table up labeled with the number of valence electrons per column.

00:25 So for starters, a chlorine has seven valence, nitrogen has five.

00:34 And oxygen has six for a total of 18 electrons.

00:42 Now, the way that the formula is written is actually the order the compound is in in terms of how it's drawn.

00:49 It's c -l -n -o.

00:52 If you didn't know that from the get -go, because many times we write formulas where the first element would go in the middle.

00:58 So if you're in a situation where you don't know, one, you can always look it up online, see the picture of it, or two, the most the least electronegative atom is generally in the center, where electronegativity increases as you go up into the right.

01:16 So of these, the one furthest away from fluorine is nitrogen.

01:20 So that's going to be in the center.

01:21 So that's a guide of unit.

01:23 All right.

01:23 So two bonds.

01:24 That's four electrons so far that we've drawn to per bond.

01:29 So we've got 14 left.

01:31 We'll go ahead and fill in the atoms on the outside and then do the nitrogen.

01:35 So each of these needs six more.

01:41 That takes out 12.

01:43 So we have two left and they're going to go on the nitrogen.

01:47 But that nitrogen does not have a full octet.

01:50 So we're going to have to do a double bot.

01:52 We have a choice.

01:53 We can either take a lone pair from the oxygen and make one there.

01:58 Or we can take it from the chlorine and make it there.

02:02 Okay.

02:02 This creates two different resonant structures.

02:06 The one with the chlorine would then become, oh, that should be a clo, o would look like this, or the one with the n -o double bond would look like this.

02:25 And we've got to choose which one of these is the more stable based on the formal charges.

02:32 Now, by this point, you know that formal charge equals the number of valence electrons on the atom, originally from the periodic table, minus half of the bonding electrons, minus all of the non -bonding, or my trick as i like to remember it, formal charge is the valence minus the number of sticks on the atom, minus the number of dots.

03:04 So let's do the one on the left first, and then we'll do the one on the right.

03:10 All right, so chlorine starts life with seven valence.

03:16 We use that when we added up the totals to begin with, minus two bonds attached to that chlorine minus four dots on that chlorine.

03:27 7 minus 2 minus 4 is plus 1.

03:29 So that chlorine is a plus 1 charge.

03:34 Next we do the nitrogen.

03:37 Nitrogen starts life with 5 valence.

03:41 This has three sticks on it and two dots for a formal charge of 0.

03:48 And then lastly, the oxygen, scroll down a little bit, starts with 6 valence minus 1 stick and 6 dots for a minus 1.

04:00 Okay.

04:02 All zeros would be better.

04:05 But in a pinch, the negative charge is on the most electronegative atom...

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