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Which of the following Lewis structure is invalid (because it breaks the octet rule or because it uses too many/too few electrons?

Which of the following Lewis structure is invalid (because it breaks the octet rule-example-1
User Lakshitha Ruwan
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1 Answer

19 votes
19 votes

ANSWER

Option B

Step-by-step explanation

To determine the lewis structure that is not valid, we will need to apply the octet rule

The octet rule helps us to understand the tendency of atoms to prefer to have eight electrons in the valence shell.

Looking at the given options, option B breaks the octet rule due to the following reasons

Oxygen has three bonds, that is 2 bonds to carbon and 1 bond to hydrogen. This results in a total of 6 electrons attached to the bonds. Also, there are two lone pairs of electrons in the structure resulting in a total number of 8 electrons in the structure.

Generally, oxygen can only have two bonds but the structure is showing three bonds which means it has accommodated more than what it can take

Hence, the correct option is B

User Unatiel
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