Question

In a Lewis structure, what do the dots surrounding the symbol of an element represent?

A) Valence electrons
B) Protons
C) Neutrons
D) Isotopes

Answer 1

In a Lewis structure, the dots surrounding the symbol of an element represent the valence electrons.

Step-by-step explanation:

A Lewis electron-dot symbol (or electron-dot symbol or a Lewis symbol) is a representation of the valence electrons of an atom that uses dots around the symbol of the element. The number of dots equals the number of valence electrons in the atom. These dots are arranged to the right and left and above and below the symbol, with no more than two dots on a side.

For example, the electron-dot symbol for hydrogen is simply H: with a single dot representing its single valence electron.