Final answer:
The Lewis structure of NOCl has nitrogen at the center bonded to oxygen with a double bond and to chlorine with a single bond. Oxygen donates a lone pair to form the double bond, fulfilling nitrogen's octet, and leaving chlorine with three lone pairs and no formal charge.
Step-by-step explanation:
Drawing the Lewis Structure of NOCl
The Lewis structure of NOCl involves a central nitrogen atom (N) bonded to an oxygen atom (O) and a chlorine atom (Cl). When we add three lone pairs of electrons to oxygen and chlorine, that leaves us with 12 electrons used, and two additional electrons which we place as a lone pair on nitrogen. However, this gives nitrogen only six electrons around it, which is less than the octet it ideally prefers. To give nitrogen a full octet, we take a lone pair from oxygen and form a double bond between oxygen and nitrogen. As a result, we get the structure O=N-Cl with a lone pair on the chlorine, and nitrogen having a formal charge of zero.
Oxygen is more likely to form double bonds compared to chlorine, making this arrangement more in line with known chemical structures. The final Lewis structure for NOCl is:
O=N-Cl
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