Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Why isn't this structure valid?

omario4 - 25-11-2008 at 17:58

Using methods i was taught in class, the lewis structure for NO+

ion is a triple bond between the nitrogen and oxygen with each containing a lone pair.

I counted all the valence electrons, subtracted 1 and distributed them around oxygen to give it an octet and gave the remainder to the nitrogen.

However if i were to juts starts off with each having their valence electrons N 5 O 6 and take 1 off nitrogen to make the cation, then i pair off each of nitrogen and oxygens electrons together to give them an octet, i'm left with a quadruple bond and lone pair on oxygen.



But the valid structure that i got from the other method seems to imply that oxygen is using up its own valence electrons more than nitrogens. I uploaded the paint picture of what i did for alternate method. So if covalent bonding is the sharing of electrons shouldn't each bond result in both molecules putting up an electron?

[Edited on 25-11-2008 by omario4]

pairup.jpg - 15kB

Ozone - 25-11-2008 at 19:59

Nitric oxide is considered to be a free radical. It violates the octet rule with *11* electrons (O=6, N=5).

Check your periodic table, and see a synopsis:

http://userpages.umbc.edu/~budzicho/Chp11note2.html

Cheers,

O3

omario4 - 25-11-2008 at 20:10

Ok, what i was having confusions with was how molecules go about making the bonds in the first place. do they have to pair each of their electrons one from each atom at a time to make the first covalent bond etc? or are they more flexible than that.

Ok i see why my lewis structure was wrong, oxygen had more than octet.

[Edited on 25-11-2008 by omario4]

superman1451 - 25-11-2008 at 20:25

Can there even be a quadruple bond?

omario4 - 25-11-2008 at 20:49

Ya, a quadruple bond would have too much electron-electron repulsions. So basically the octet rule can be violated when there are insuffiicient or odd numbers of electrons or if it involves elements in period 3 or higher. But for period 2 you can never exceed an octet due to there being only 8 orbitals in principle shell n = 2.

Thank you so much for your patience and help. I have to go to sleep soon i'll check back tomorrow.