Chapter 9: Problem 103

The chlorine nitrate molecule (ClONO \(_{2}\) ) is believed to be involved in the destruction of ozone in the Antarctic stratosphere. Draw a plausible Lewis structure for this molecule.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The Lewis structure for the ClONO2 molecule will have Nitrogen as the central atom with a double bond to one Oxygen atom, and single bonds to the Chlorine atom and the other two Oxygen atoms. The central Nitrogen atom will have no lone pair of electrons, while the Chlorine atom will have 3 lone pairs, and two Oxygen atoms will each have 2 lone pairs. The double-bonded Oxygen atom will have one lone pair.

Step by step solution

Count Total Valence Electrons

First, count the total number of valence electrons in the ClONO2 molecule. Chlorine (Cl) has 7 valence electrons, Oxygen (O) has 6 valence electrons (and since there are two Oxygen atoms, that's 12 in total), and Nitrogen (N) has 5 valence electrons. When combined, the total count of valence electrons in the molecule is \(7 + 6(3) + 5 = 30\) .

Identify Central Atom

Generally the least electronegative atom is the central atom, however Hydrogen and Fluorine are never central atoms. In case of chlorine nitrate, Nitrogen will be the central atom.

Draw Skeleton and Connect Atoms

Place the remaining atoms around the central atom (Nitrogen). There should be one Chlorine and three Oxygen atoms. Draw single bonds between the central atom and the rest. Each bond uses 2 electrons, so with 5 bonds (including the double bond), 10 electrons have been used up so far. Now you have 20 electrons left.

Complete Octet for Outer Atoms

Next, fill in the octets for the outside atoms (Chlorine and two of the Oxygen atoms). At this point, all 30 electrons are used up (the central Nitrogen atom has 8 electrons already and each Oxygen atom requires 2 more).

Check Formal Charges

Now, we need to ensure that every atom in our structure has a formal charge as close to zero as possible. The structure of our chlorine nitrate molecule will be complete when every atom has its least formal charge, and the sum of all the formal charges is equal to the molecular charge.

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The chlorine nitrate molecule (ClONO \(_{2}\) ) is believed to be involved in the destruction of ozone in the Antarctic stratosphere. Draw a plausible Lewis structure for this molecule.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Count Total Valence Electrons

Identify Central Atom

Draw Skeleton and Connect Atoms

Complete Octet for Outer Atoms

Check Formal Charges

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