Editing Lewis structure (section)

{{short description|Diagrams for the bonding between atoms of a molecule and lone pairs of electrons}}
[[File:Freie Elektronenpaare Wasser V3.svg|class=skin-invert-image|alt=A lewis structure of a water molecule, composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom sharing valence electrons|thumb|Lewis structure of a [[properties of water|water molecule]]]]

'''Lewis structures'''{{snd}}also called '''Lewis dot formulas''', '''Lewis dot structures''', '''electron dot structures''', or '''Lewis electron dot structures''' ('''LEDs'''){{snd}}are diagrams that show the [[chemical bond|bonding]] between [[atom]]s of a [[molecule]], as well as the [[lone pair]]s of [[electron]]s that may exist in the molecule.<ref>[http://goldbook.iupac.org/L03513.html IUPAC definition of Lewis formula]</ref><ref>Zumdahl, S. (2005) ''Chemical Principles'' Houghton-Mifflin ({{ISBN|0-618-37206-7}})</ref><ref>{{citation |author1=G.L. Miessler |author2=D.A. Tarr |year=2003 |title=Inorganic Chemistry |edition=2nd |publisher=Pearson Prentice–Hall |isbn=0-13-035471-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/inorganicchemist03edmies }}</ref> Introduced by [[Gilbert N. Lewis]] in his 1916 article ''The Atom and the Molecule'', a Lewis structure can be drawn for any [[covalent]]ly bonded molecule, as well as [[complex (chemistry)|coordination compounds]]. <ref>{{citation |author=Lewis, G. N. |title=The Atom and the Molecule |journal=J. Am. Chem. Soc. |year=1916 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=762–85 |doi=10.1021/ja02261a002|bibcode=1916JAChS..38..762L |s2cid=95865413 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1429068 }}</ref> Lewis structures extend the concept of the '''electron dot diagram''' by adding lines between atoms to represent [[shared pair]]s in a chemical bond.

Lewis structures show each atom and its position in the structure of the molecule using its chemical symbol. Lines are drawn between atoms that are bonded to one another (pairs of dots can be used instead of lines). Excess electrons that form lone pairs are represented as pairs of dots, and are placed next to the atoms.

Although [[main group element]]s of the [[Period 2 element|second period]] and beyond usually react by gaining, losing, or sharing electrons until they have achieved a valence shell electron configuration with a full [[octet rule|octet]] of (8) electrons, [[hydrogen]] instead obeys the [[duplet rule]], forming one bond for a complete valence shell of two electrons.