CHEMISTRY

Lewis Structure
Fernanda Barragán Torres and Mauricio Alemán
Lewis structure
A Lewis Structure is a very simplified
representation of the valence shell electrons
in a molecule.
It is used to show how the electrons are
arranged around individual atoms in a
molecule.
Electrons are shown as "dots" or for bonding
electrons as a line between the two atoms.
The goal is to obtain the "best" electron
configuration, i.e. the octet rule and formal
charges need to be satisfied.
History
01
The Lewis structure was named after
Gilbert N. Lewis, who introduced it in
his 1916 article The Atom and the
Molecule
02
Lewis structures extend the concept
of the electron dot diagram by
adding lines between atoms to
represent shared pairs in a chemical
bond.
Structure

Lewis structures show each

atom and its position in the
structure of the molecule
using its chemical symbol.
Lines are drawn between
atoms that are bonded to
one another (pairs of dots
can be used instead of lines).
Excess electrons that form
lone pairs are represented as
pairs of dots, and are placed
next to the atoms.