QQuestionChemistry
QuestionChemistry
Hydrogen chloride is a covalent compound. Which is a correct Lewis dot structure for HCl?
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Answer
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Step 1:: Understand the Lewis structure rules for covalent compounds
- Determine the total number of valence electrons in the molecule by adding the valence electrons of each atom. For Hydrogen (H), it is 1, and for Chlorine (Cl), it is 7. So, the total number of valence electrons in HCl is 1 + 7 = 8.
Step 2:: Choose the central atom
- In a binary covalent compound like HCl, one atom will be the central atom, and the other atom will be the terminal atom. Since Hydrogen can only form one bond, Chlorine will be the central atom.
Step 3:: Place the central atom in the Lewis structure
\begin{aligned}
:\text{Cl}\; & \ \;\;|\; & \ \text{H}\; & \end{aligned}
Step 4:: Distribute the remaining valence electrons as lone pairs on the terminal atoms
- In this case, we have 6 valence electrons left (8 - 2 shared electrons). Distribute these electrons around the Hydrogen atom as lone pairs. However, Hydrogen can only accommodate 2 electrons (2 electrons in its 1s orbital). So, we will form a single bond between Hydrogen and Chlorine.
Step 5:: Finalize the Lewis structure
\begin{aligned}
:\text{Cl}\; &-\text{H}: \ &\;|\; \ &\;\text{:} \end{aligned}
Final Answer
The correct Lewis dot structure for HCl is: \begin{aligned} :\text{Cl}\; &-\text{H}: \ &\;|\; \ &\;\text{:} \end{aligned} In this structure, Chlorine has 7 electrons (6 in lone pairs and 1 in the bond) and Hydrogen has 2 electrons (both in the bond). The formal charges are not explicitly shown in this Lewis structure, but Hydrogen has a formal charge of 0, and Chlorine has a formal charge of - 1.
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