Draw a Lewis structure for ammonia.

Draw a Lewis structure for ammonia, nh3. include all hydrogen atoms and show all unshared pairs and the formal charges, if any. assume that bonding follows the octet rule.

The Lewis structure for ammonia NH₃ is:

lewis structure for ammonia

And there are no formal charges.

Lewis structure for ammonia
To draw the Lewis structure for NH₃, follow these steps:

1. Determine the total number of valence electrons: Nitrogen (N) has 5 valence electrons, and each Hydrogen (H) atom has 1 valence electron. Since there are 3 Hydrogen atoms, the total valence electrons are 5 + (3 * 1) = 8.

2. Identify the central atom: Nitrogen is the central atom because it has the highest bonding capacity (it can form 3 bonds).

3. Place the central atom and surround it with Hydrogen atoms: Write the symbol for Nitrogen and place the 3 Hydrogen atoms around it in a trigonal planar arrangement.

lewis structure

4. Connect the atoms with single bonds: Create a single bond between Nitrogen and each Hydrogen atom by placing a pair of electrons (a line) between them. This uses 6 valence electrons (2 for each bond).

5. Distribute the remaining valence electrons: We have used 6 valence electrons so far, and there are 2 more left. Place the remaining 2 electrons as a lone pair on the central Nitrogen atom.

lewis structure for ammonia

6. Check the octet rule: Each Hydrogen atom has 2 electrons (1 bond), and Nitrogen has 8 electrons (3 bonds and 1 lone pair). All atoms satisfy the octet rule.

7. Determine formal charges: In NH₃, there are no formal charges, as each atom has the same number of valence electrons as in its neutral state.

The Lewis structure for NH₃ is now complete.

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