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Worked Examples of Lewis Dot Structures

1. Draw Lewis dot structures for the following molecules and ions. Show all lone pair
electrons, and all formal charges that are not zero.

a. CH4
8 valence electrons (4 + 41)
Place the C in the center, and connect the four H’s to it:
H

H C H

H
This uses up all of the valence electrons. The octet rule is satisfied everywhere, and all
of the atoms have formal charges of zero.

b. NH3
8 valence electrons (5 + 31)
Place the N in the center, and connect the three H’s to it:
H N H

H
This uses up six of the eight valence electrons. The last two electrons cannot go on the
H’s (that would violate the octet rule for H), so they must go on the N:

H N H

H
All of the valence electrons have now been used up, the octet rule is satisfied
everywhere, and all of the atoms have formal charges of zero.

c. H2 O
8 valence electrons (21 + 6)
Place the O in the center, and connect the two H’s to it:
H O H
This uses up four of the valence electrons. The remaining four valence electrons cannot
go on the H’s, so they must go on the O, in two pairs:

H O H

All of the valence electrons have now been used up, the octet rule is satisfied
everywhere, and all of the atoms have formal charges of zero.
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d. H3O+
8 valence electrons (31 + 6 – 1)
Place the O in the center, and connect the three H’s to it:
H O H

H
This uses up six of the valence electrons. The remaining two valence electrons must go
on the oxygen:

H O H

H
All of the valence electrons have been used up, and the octet rule is satisfied
everywhere. The formal charge on the oxygen atom is 1+ (8 – ½ 6 – 2):

H O H

e. HCN
10 valence electrons (1 + 4 + 5)
Place the C in the center, and connect the H and N to it:
H C N
This uses up four of the valence electrons. The remaining six valence electrons start
out on the N:

H C N

In the structure as shown, the octet rule is not satisfied on the C, and there is a 2+
formal charge on the C (4 – ½ 4 – 0) and a 2- formal charge on the N (5 – ½ 2 – 6):
2+ 2-
H C N

The octet rule can be satisfied if we move two pairs of electrons from the N in between
the C and the N, making a triple bond:
2+ 2-
H C N H C N

The octet rule is now satisfied, and the formal charges are zero.
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f. CO2
16 valence electrons (4 + 26)
Place the C in the center, connect the two O’s to it, and place the remaining valence
electrons on the O’s:

O C O

This uses up the sixteen valence electrons The octet rule is not satisfied on the C, and
there are lots of formal charges in the structure:
2+
O C O

The octet rule can be satisfied, and the formal charges diminished if we move a pair of
electrons from each oxygen atom in between the carbon and oxygen atoms:
2+
O C O O C O

The octet rule is satisfied everywhere, and all of the atoms have formal charges of zero.

g. CCl4
32 valence electrons (4 + 47)
Place the C in the center, and connect the four Cl’s to it:
Cl

Cl C Cl

Cl
This uses up eight valence electrons The remaining 24 valence electrons are placed in
pairs on the Cl’s:

Cl

Cl C Cl

Cl

Now, all of the valence electrons have been used up, the octet rule is satisfied
everywhere, and all of the atoms have formal charges of zero.

h. COCl2
24 valence electrons (4 + 6 + 27)
Place the C in the center, and connect the O and the two Cl’s to it. (The relative
placement of the O and the Cl’s does not matter, since we are not yet drawing a three-
dimensional structure.) Place the remaining valence electrons on the oxygen and
chlorine atoms:
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Cl C Cl

The octet rule is not satisfied on the C; in order to get eight electrons around the C, we
must move a pair of electrons either from the O or one of the Cl’s to make a double
bond. Making a carbon-chlorine double bond would satisfy the octet rule, but there
would still be formal charges, and there would be a positive formal charge on a strongly
electronegative atom (structure 2). Making a carbon-oxygen double bond would also
satisfy the octet rule, but all of the formal charges would be zero, and that would be the
better Lewis structure (structure 3):

O O O

Cl C Cl Cl C Cl Cl C Cl

2 1 3

i. O3 (ozone)
18 valence electrons (36)
Place one O in the center, and connect the other two O’s to it. Drawing a single bond
from the terminal O’s to the one in the center uses four electrons; 12 of the remaining
electrons go on the terminal oxygens, leaving one lone pair on the central oxygen:
2+

O O O
1
We can satisfy the octet rule on the central O by making a double bond either between
the left O and the central one (2), or the right O and the center one (3):
2+

O O O O O O O O O
2 1 3
Which one is the “correct” Lewis structure?

The ozone molecule is more correctly shown with two lower-energy Lewis structures,
with the two-headed resonance arrow (T) between them:

O O O O O O
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2. Draw all reasonable resonance structures for the following molecules and ions. Identify the
most stable (lowest energy) and least stable (highest energy) resonance structures, or whether
they are equal in energy. For all atoms, write the formal charge if it is not zero.

j. CO32- (carbonate ion)

24 valence electrons (4 + 36 + 2)
Place the C in the center, with three lone pairs on each of the O’s:

O C O

1
We can satisfy the octet rule and make the formal charges smaller by making a carbon-
oxygen double bond. Since there are three equivalent ways of making a C=O, we draw
each of the three possible structures, with a resonance arrow between them:

O O O

O C O O C O O C O
2 3 4
Once again, structure 1 is a resonance structure of 2, 3, and 4, but it is a higher energy
structure, and does not contribute as much to our picture of the molecule. Since the
double bond is spread out over three positions, the carbon-oxygen bonds in carbonate
are “one-and-a-third” bonds.

3. Draw Lewis structures for the following multi-center molecules. For all atoms, write the
formal charge if it is not zero.
H H

k. C2H6 H C C H

H H

H H
l. C2H4
H C C H

H H

m. CH3CH2OH H C C O H

H H
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4. Draw Lewis structures for the following compounds. In most cases, the central atom violates
the octet rule. For all atoms, write the formal charge if it is not zero.

n. BF3
24 valence electrons (3 + 37)

F B F

The octet rule is not satisfied on the B, but the formal charges are all zero. (In fact,
trying to make a boron-fluorine double bond would put a positive formal charge on
fluorine; since fluorine is highly electronegative, this is extremely unfavorable.)

o. NO (nitrogen monoxide, or nitric oxide)

11 valence electrons (5 + 6)

N O

In this structure, the formal charges are all zero, but the octet rule is not satisfied on the
N. Since there are an odd number of electrons, there is no way to satisfy the octet rule.
Nitric oxide is a free radical, and is an extremely reactive compound. (In the body,
nitric oxide is a vasodilator, and is involved in the mechanism of action of various
neurotransmitters, as well as some heart and blood pressure medications such as
nitroglycerin and amyl nitrite)

p. PCl5
40 valence electrons (5 + 57)

Cl
Cl Cl
P
Cl Cl

The octet rule is violated on the central P, but phosphorus is in the p-block of row 3 of
the periodic table, and has empty d orbitals that can accommodate “extra” electrons.
Notice that the formal charge on the phosphorus atom is zero.

q. SF6
48 valence electrons (6 + 67)

F
F F
S
F F
F
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The octet rule is violated on the central S, but sulfur is in the p-block of row 3 of the
periodic table, and has empty d orbitals that can accommodate “extra” electrons.
Notice that the formal charge on the sulfur atom is zero.

r. SF4
34 valence electrons (6 + 47)

F S F

The octet rule is violated on the central S, but sulfur is in the p-block of row 3 of the
periodic table, and has empty d orbitals that can accommodate “extra” electrons.
Notice that the formal charge on the sulfur atom is zero.

s. XeF4
36 valence electrons (8 + 47)

F Xe F

The octet rule is violated on the central Xe, but xenon is in the p-block of row 5 of the
periodic table, and has empty d orbitals that can accommodate “extra” electrons.
Notice that the formal charge on the xenon atom is zero.

t. H2SO4 (S is the central atom; each H is bonded to a different O)

32 valence electrons (21 + 6 + 46)

O O
2+
H O S O H H O S O H

O O
1 2
Structures 1 and 2 are resonance structures of each other, but structure 2 is the lower
energy structure, even though it violates the octet rule. Sulfur can accommodate more
than eight electrons, and the formal charges in structure 2 are all zero.
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5. Predict the shapes of the following molecules from their Lewis dot structures using the
VSEPR model.

Formula Lewis Structure Bonding Shape

H
4 bonds
a. CH4 H C H tetrahedral
0 lone pairs
H

H N H 3 bonds
b. NH3 trigonal pyramidal
1 lone pair
H

2 bonds
c. H2O H O H bent
2 lone pairs

H O H 3 bonds
d. H3O+ trigonal pyramidal
1 lone pair
H

2 bonds
e. HCN H C N linear
0 lone pairs

2 bonds
f. CO2 O C O linear
0 lone pairs

Cl
4 bonds
g. CCl4 Cl C Cl tetrahedral
0 lone pairs
Cl

O
3 bonds
h. COCl2 trigonal planar
Cl C Cl 0 lone pairs

2 bonds
i. O3 O O O bent*
1 lone pair

*
With Lewis structures involving resonance, it is irrelevant which structure is used to determine the shape, since
they are all energetically equivalent.
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O
2- 3 bonds
j. CO3 trigonal planar*
O C O 0 lone pairs

H H
4 bonds
k. C2H6 H C C H tetrahedral
0 lone pairs
H H

H H 3 bonds
l. C2H4 trigonal planar
H C C H 0 lone pairs

H H C: 4 bonds
0 lone pairs C: tetrahedral
m. CH3CH2OH H C C O H
O: 2 bonds O: bent
H H 2 lone pairs

F 3 bonds
n. BF3 trigonal planar
0 lone pairs
F B F

o. NO N O linear

Cl
Cl Cl 5 bonds
p. PCl5 P trigonal bipyramidal
0 lone pairs
Cl Cl

F
F F 6 bonds
q. SF6 S octahedral
0 lone pairs
F F
F

F
4 bonds
r. SF4 F S F seesaw
1 lone pair
F
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F
4 bonds
s. XeF4 F Xe F square planar
2 lone pairs
F

O S: 4 bonds
0 lone pairs S: tetrahedral
t. H2SO4 H O S O H
O: 2 bonds O: bent
O 2 lone pairs

6. Write the most stable possible Lewis structure for each of the following molecules, predict
the shape and hybridization around the central atom, and state whether the molecule is polar
or nonpolar. (For all atoms, write the formal charge if it is not zero.)

Shape / 3D Structure
Formula Explanation
/ Polarity
H

C
H H The C—H bond is nonpolar, since C and H differ by
a. CH4 H only 0.35 electronegativity units.
tetrahedral
nonpolar

N Since this molecule is not flat, the N—H bonds are

H H not pointing directly at each other, and their
b. NH3 H polarities do not cancel out. In addition, there is a
slight dipole in the direction of the lone pair.
trigonal pyramidal
polar

O Since this molecule is bent, the O—H bonds are not

c. H2O H H pointing directly at each other, and their polarities do
not cancel out.
bent
polar
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O
+ H H Since this species is charged, the terms “polar” and
d. H3O H “nonpolar” are irrelevant.
trigonal pyramidal
charged

H C N Linear molecules are usually nonpolar, but in this

case, not all of the atoms connected to the central
e. HCN
linear atom are the same. The C—N bond is polar, and is
polar not canceled out by the nonpolar C—H bond.

O C O
The polar C=O bonds are oriented 180° away from
f. CO2 each other. The polarity of these bonds cancels out,
linear making the molecule nonpolar.
nonpolar

Cl

C The polar C—Cl bonds are oriented 109.5° away

g. CCl4 Cl Cl from each other. The polarity of these bonds cancels
Cl
out, making the molecule nonpolar.
tetrahedral
nonpolar

O Trigonal planar molecules are usually nonpolar, but

in this case, not all of the atoms connected to the
C
central atom are the same. The bond polarities do
h. COCl2 Cl Cl
not completely cancel out, and the molecule is polar.
trigonal planar (If there were three O’s, or three Cl’s attached to the
polar central C, it would be nonpolar.)

O Bent molecules are always polar. Although the

O O oxygen-oxygen bonds are nonpolar, the lone pair on
i. O3
the central O contributes some polarity to the
molecule.
bent
polar
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C
2- O O Since this species is charged, the terms “polar” and
j. CO3
“nonpolar” are irrelevant.
trigonal planar
charged

H H
H
C C Both carbon atoms are tetrahedral; since the C—H
H
k. C2H6 H H bonds and the C—C bond are nonpolar, the
molecule is nonpolar.
tetrahedral
nonpolar

H H
C C Both carbon atoms are trigonal planar; since the C—
H H
l. C2H4 H bonds and the C—C bond are nonpolar, the
trigonal planar molecule is nonpolar.
nonpolar

H H
H
C C
H The C—C and C—H bonds do not contribute to the
H O H polarity of the molecule, but the C—O and O—H
m. CH3CH2OH
bonds are polar, the since the shape around the O
C: tetrahedral atom is bent, the molecule must be polar.
O: bent
polar

B Since this molecule is planar, all three polar B—F

n. BF3 F F bonds are in the same plane, oriented 120° away
from each other, making the molecule nonpolar.
trigonal planar
nonpolar

N O
Since there is only one bond in this molecular, and
o. NO
the bond is polar, the molecule must be polar.
linear
polar
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Cl
Cl The P—Cl bonds in the equatorial positions on this
Cl P molecule are oriented 120° away from each other,
Cl
p. PCl5 and their bond polarities cancel out. The P—Cl
Cl
bonds in the axial positions are 180° away from each
trigonal bipyramidal other, and their bond polarities cancel out as well.
nonpolar

F
F F
S
F F The S—F bonds in this molecules are all 90° away
q. SF6 F from each other, and their bond polarities cancel out.

octahedral
nonpolar

F
F The S—F bonds in the axial positions are 90° apart,
F S and their bond polarities cancel out. In the
r. SF4 equatorial positions, since one position is taken up
F
by a lone pair, they do not cancel out, and the
seesaw molecule is polar.
polar

F F
Xe The Xe—F bonds are all oriented 90° away from
F F each other, and their bond polarities cancel out. The
s. XeF4
lone pairs are 180° away from each other, and their
slight polarities cancel out as well.
square planar
nonpolar

O O
H S H
O O This molecule is polar because of the bent H—O—S
t. H2SO4
bonds which are present in it.
S: tetrahedral
O: bent
polar