Question

draw the lewis structure of the azide ion that minimizes formal charge (it does not form a triangle). draw the molecule by placing atoms on the grid and connecting them with bonds. include all lone pairs of electrons. use square brackets to denote the overall charge.

Answer 1

To draw the Lewis structure of the azide ion that minimizes formal charge, start by determining the total number of valence electrons. Then, draw a skeleton structure and distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs, while considering the formal charges of the atoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

To draw the Lewis structure of the azide ion minimizing formal charge, we start by determining the total number of valence electrons. Nitrogen contributes 5 valence electrons each, while each oxygen contributes 6 valence electrons. The overall charge of the azide ion is -1, so we add an extra electron to the count. The total count is 5 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 1 = 29.

Next, we draw a skeleton structure, placing the central nitrogen atom in the center and connecting it to three oxygen atoms using single bonds. Each oxygen atom will have one lone pair of electrons. The remaining electrons are placed on the central nitrogen atom as lone pairs.

The Lewis structure of the azide ion that minimizes formal charge, with no triangular shape, is as follows: N = O with a double bond and a negative charge on the nitrogen atom, and N - O with single bonds and lone pairs on each oxygen atom.