Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
that the unpaired electrons of oxygen are represented in the Lewis dot
diagram, but they are not included in the structural formula. Looking at
the structural formula for carbon dioxide, you can see that a double bond
is represented by a pair of dashed lines, whereas in a Lewis dot diagram the
double bond is represented by two pairs of dots. Keep looking at the pic-
tures in Figure 4-4a until you feel that you can understand how the infor-
mation gets presented in a structural formula.
Structural formula writing becomes especially important when study-
ing compounds containing carbon, which are called organic compounds.
Carbon atoms have the ability to link together into long chains and rings,
Lewis Dot Diagrams and Structural Formulas
Compound
Lewis Dot Diagram
Structural Formula
HO
H
HO
H
Water (H
2
O)
H
H
HC
H
H
HC
H
H
Methane (CH
4
)
OO
OO
Carbon Dioxide
(CO
2
)
H
H
H
H
H
H
Propane (C
3
H
8
)
HC
H
C
H
C
H
H
HC
H
C
H
C
H
H
H
H
Propyne (C
3
H
4
)
HC
CC
H
H
HCCC
H
H
Figure 4-4a
