Final answer:
The Lewis dot structure for H₂SO₃ can be constructed by placing the sulfur atom as the central atom and connecting it to four oxygen atoms with single bonds. Each oxygen atom will have two lone pairs of electrons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Lewis dot structure for H₂SO₃ can be constructed by placing the sulfur atom as the central atom and connecting it to four oxygen atoms with single bonds. Each oxygen atom will have two lone pairs of electrons.
The structure should look like this:
O
‖
S
‖
O
The total number of valence electrons in H₂SO₃ is 26. To check if the octet rule is satisfied, count the number of electrons and compare it to the total available.
In this case, there are 26 valence electrons, so the octet rule is satisfied.