Question

Draw the Lewis structure for the following molecules:
a. IBr

Answer 1

To draw the Lewis structure of PCl3, tally the valence electrons, draw the skeleton structure with single bonds, assign lone pairs to fulfill the octet rule, and ensure the total electrons match the valence count. The final structure will have a phosphorus atom with one lone pair and three chlorine atoms each with three lone pairs.

Step-by-step explanation:

To draw the Lewis structure for a molecule like PC13, which I believe is a typo and should be PCl3 (Phosphorus trichloride), you should follow these steps:

1. Determine the total number of valence electrons in the molecule. Phosphorus has 5 valence electrons and each chlorine atom has 7, so for PCl3, the total is 5 + (3 × 7) = 26 valence electrons.
2. Draw a skeleton structure with phosphorus as the central atom and chlorine atoms surrounding it. Connect each chlorine to phosphorus with a single bond.
3. Place lone pairs around the chlorine atoms to complete their octet. In PCl3, each chlorine will have three pairs of lone electrons.
4. Place any remaining electrons on the central atom. In this case, phosphorus will have one lone pair.
5. Check that all atoms have a full octet (8 electrons) and that the total number of electrons used in the structure equals the number of valence electrons we calculated in the first step.

The final Lewis structure of PCl3 will show the phosphorus atom in the center with one lone pair of electrons and three single bonds to the chlorine atoms, each of which has three lone pairs of electrons.