Drawing Lewis Dot Structures is an important skill that underpins your understanding of how atoms are connected, and paves the way for understanding of more complex concepts like intermolecular forces, resonance and retrosynthetic analysis, which are key testing areas for the GAMSAT.
Many struggle with Lewis dot structures at first because you really have to dive in head first and give it a go. Trial and error and loads of scribble of pen on paper is the best way to learn when starting out drawing Lewis dot structures.
However we all need a bit of extra help at first, if not for anything else other than to boost our confidence a bit before making a real mess of that notebook, or perhaps even…(shock horror) making a mistake!
So read on for resources on the following:
- drawing Lewis dot structures
- list of more than 70 Lewis dot structures with instructive videos
- determining shape of molecules
- hybridisation
- bond angles
- formal charge
- resonance
First up, try this Bozeman Science video for some great tips on drawing Lewis structures.
Then check out the Kent Chemistry Lewis dot structures page, which contains some step-by-step videos on determining shape, hybridization, bond angles and formal charge, to really help iron out any confusion over these concepts.
This page also has a list of 70 Lewis dot structures of common molecules and ions, (including a video of how to draw them) so chances are, the one you’ve been pulling your hair out over is there!
Lastly, there’s a good explanation of how the resonance structure of molecules relates to their corresponding Lewis structures.
Get around it!
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