CHM 101 - Writing Lewis Dot Structures

Step 1. Determine the total number of valence electrons.

Step 2. Write the bond skeleton - Placement of atoms relative to each other

Step 3. Draw a single bond from each surrounding atom to the central atom, and subtract 2e− for each bond from the total to find the number of e− remaining

Step 4. Distribute the remaining electrons in pairs so that each atom ends up with 8e− (or 2e− for H)

Step 5. Change a lone pair to a bonding pair if you run out of electrons before making all atoms HAPPY