Oxygen (O₂)
1. Count valence electrons: Oxygen has 6 valence electrons. Since there are two oxygen atoms, the total is 12 valence electrons.
2. Connect the atoms: Draw a single bond between the two oxygen atoms (O-O). This uses 2 valence electrons.
3. Distribute remaining electrons: We have 10 electrons left. Place 3 lone pairs around each oxygen atom (6 electrons on each).
4. Complete octets: Each oxygen atom now has 8 electrons surrounding it.
5. Double bond: To give each oxygen atom a full octet, we need to add another bond between them. This forms a double bond (O=O).
Lewis Dot Structure for O₂:
.. ..
:O=O:
.. ..
Nitrogen (N₂)
1. Count valence electrons: Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons. Since there are two nitrogen atoms, the total is 10 valence electrons.
2. Connect the atoms: Draw a single bond between the two nitrogen atoms (N-N). This uses 2 valence electrons.
3. Distribute remaining electrons: We have 8 electrons left. Place 2 lone pairs around each nitrogen atom (4 electrons on each).
4. Complete octets: Each nitrogen atom now has 6 electrons surrounding it.
5. Triple bond: To give each nitrogen atom a full octet, we need to add two more bonds between them. This forms a triple bond (N≡N).
Lewis Dot Structure for N₂:
:N≡N:
Key:
* Dots represent valence electrons
* Lines represent shared electron pairs (bonds)
