Quantitative Assessment on the Effectiveness of a Formal Charge Method for Constructing Lewis (Electron Dot) Structures

Curnow, Owen J.; Pearson, Jason K.

doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00189

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…As mentioned above, a plethora of methods exist for drawing Lewis structures. Although most descriptions involve summing all valence electrons in the first step, some do not . For example, some methods focus on drawing trial structures in which all atoms are attached by single bonds and the atoms are assigned lone pairs or formal charges , that are determined by the number of bonds attached.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, this paper provides a less mathematically oriented approach for the construction of Lewis structures, with the extra benefit that formal charges (i.e., the charges remaining on the atoms when all bonds are broken homolytically) arise without the need for any additional computation. This approach complements other approaches that have been introduced for drawing Lewis structures that do not focus on computing the total number of valence electrons …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Convenient Approach for the Construction of Lewis Structures by Focusing on the Valence Requirements of Outer Atoms

Parkin

2023

J. Chem. Educ.

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A convenient approach to obtain Lewis structures for compounds of the type YX n involves first constructing a trial structure that satisfies the valence of the outer atoms (e.g., 1 bond for fluorine, 2 bonds for oxygen, and 3 bonds for nitrogen) and placing the molecular charge (if any) on the central atom. The second step involves evaluating the electron count of the central atom, which can give rise to three possibilities: (i) if the central atom has an octet configuration, no change in the number of bonds is required; (ii) if the central atom (Y) exceeds the octet, a Y–X bond is relocated as a lone pair on X, which results in a formal positive charge on Y and a formal negative charge on X; and (iii) if the electron count on the central Y atom is less than an octet, a lone pair on the outer atom is relocated as a Y–X bond, which results in a formal negative charge on Y and a formal positive charge on X; these transformations modify the electron configuration around X such that it will adopt a correct Lewis structure. This approach differs considerably from other methods that require one to calculate the total number of valence electrons in the first step. As such, the method described here, which focuses on using valence as a guiding chemical principle, is much less mathematically oriented and, therefore, less subject to errors from incorrect calculations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Convenient Approach for the Construction of Lewis Structures by Focusing on the Valence Requirements of Outer Atoms

Parkin

2023

J. Chem. Educ.

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Teaching Formal Charges of Lewis Electron Dot Structures by Counting Attachments

Murillo,

Enderle,

Pham

2024

J. Chem. Educ.

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A method of assigning formal charges from counting "attachments" for visual inspection is introduced as part of the iterative portion of constructing Lewis electron dot structures. An "attachment" is either a "line" for a bond or a "dot" for a single electron, which is compared against the number of valence electrons, as indicated by group number. While formal charges are assigned for formality only, they are a useful tool to rationalize the more likely Lewis structure, especially when considering relative electronegativity differences among the elements. This method describes how changing the number of attachments around an atom in the Lewis electron dot structure fosters facile pattern recognition. The "attachment method" removes the accounting of numbers in categorizing electrons of "nonbonding" vs "bonding" in the more prevalent mathematical equation and may be useful for teaching introductory general chemistry. Various examples are described in contrasting the traditional mathematical approach and this "attachment method". The goal is to provide another means for teaching formal charges, especially to reach students with various learning preferences. In surveying 426 students in a general chemistry course, a majority prefers the attachment method, and this group reports a statistically modest gain in performance on the corresponding in-class assessment.

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Quantitative Assessment on the Effectiveness of a Formal Charge Method for Constructing Lewis (Electron Dot) Structures

Cited by 2 publications

References 25 publications

A Convenient Approach for the Construction of Lewis Structures by Focusing on the Valence Requirements of Outer Atoms

A Convenient Approach for the Construction of Lewis Structures by Focusing on the Valence Requirements of Outer Atoms

Teaching Formal Charges of Lewis Electron Dot Structures by Counting Attachments

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