What is illustrated in electron-dot diagrams?

Answer 1

Lewis electron dot representation is a method to help visualise the formation of compounds by representative elements. Sometimes the "Octet rule" is referred to as many elements (not hydrogen) have a tendency to form a stable electron configuration if they have eight electrons in the outer "shell" (Bohr model).

The electron dot representation helps in visualising

• the sharing of electrons between atoms;
• the tendency to have a complete outer "shell";
• the number of valence electrons of a representative element;
• the idea of electrons pairing into orbitals;
• the formation of multiple bonds when more than one electron is shared;
• the idea of non-bonding pairs of valence electrons (which is used for shape of molecules and the formation of some polyatomic ions eg hydronium ion, H3O+) Non-bonding pairs can also be used to explain the formation of oxides and chlorides of sulfur with the concept of relative electronegativity of the elements.

Answer 2

Electron-dot diagrams illustrate the arrangement of valence electrons around an atom, showing the symbol of the element surrounded by dots representing the electrons in its outer shell. This representation helps in understanding the bonding behavior of atoms and predicting the types of bonds that can form between different elements.