Answer
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Step 1:: Determine the total number of valence electrons in the molecule.
Nitrogen (N) is in the 15th group of the periodic table, so it has 5 valence electrons. Fluorine (F) is in the 17th group, so it has 7 valence electrons. There are 3 fluorine atoms in NF^3, so the total number of valence electrons in the molecule is: \text{Total valence electrons} = 5(\text{N}) + 3 imes 7(\text{F}) = 5 + 21 = 26
Step 2:: Place the central atom and arrange the remaining atoms around it.
Nitrogen will be the central atom, and we will arrange the three fluorine atoms in a trigonal planar geometry since nitrogen forms three bonds in this molecule.
Step 3:: Draw the initial Lewis structure by distributing the valence electrons.
Step 4:
Place one pair of electrons between the central atom (N) and each of the surrounding atoms (F) to form single bonds. This uses up 6 electrons (3 bonding pairs).
Step 5:
Distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs on each atom to complete their octets. In this case, we need to add 18 electrons (9 lone pairs) to satisfy the octet rule for all atoms.
Step 6:: Check the formal charges of each atom.
Step 7:
Calculate the formal charge for each atom by subtracting the number of valence electrons it contributes from the sum of its group number, the number of lone pairs, and half the number of bonding electrons.
Step 8:
The formal charges should be as close to zero as possible, and the overall charge of the molecule should be zero. For NF^3, the formal charges are: - Nitrogen (N): 5 - (1 + 3 + 3 / 2) = 0 - Fluorine (F): 7 - (7 + 1 + 1 / 2) = - 1 for each F atom Since the formal charges add up to zero and the charge on each fluorine atom is - 1, which is close to zero, the Lewis structure is valid.
Step 9:: Draw the final Lewis structure for NF^3.
NF^3 has a central nitrogen atom surrounded by three fluorine atoms in a trigonal planar geometry. The formal charges are shown next to each atom. \begin{array}{cccc} & \text{N} & & \text{F} \ \text{Valence electrons:} & 5 & & 7 \ \text{Lone pairs:} & 2 & & 3 \ \text{Bonding pairs:} & 3 & & 1 \ \text{Formal charge:} & 0 & & - 1 \ \end{array}
Final Answer
The Lewis structure for NF^3 is shown above, with a central nitrogen atom surrounded by three fluorine atoms in a trigonal planar geometry. The formal charges are shown next to each atom.
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