General Chemistry

Creating the Lewis structure for ammonia (\( \text{NH}_3 \)) involves a few straightforward steps.

This structure helps in understanding the arrangement of electrons around the nitrogen atom in ammonia.

&nbsp;Steps to Draw the Lewis Structure of Ammonia (\( \text{NH}_3 \))

1. Count the Total Number of Valence Electrons:

<ul>
	<li>Nitrogen (N) has 5 valence electrons (being in Group 15 of the periodic table).</li>
	<li>Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron each.</li>
	<li>Since there are three hydrogen atoms, the total number of valence electrons from hydrogen is \( 3 \times 1 = 3 \).</li>
	<li>Total valence electrons in \( \text{NH}_3 \) = \( 5 \) (from N) + \( 3 \) (from H) = \( 8 \) electrons.</li>
</ul>

2. Determine the Central Atom:

<ul>
	<li>Nitrogen can form more than one bond, so it is the central atom.</li>
</ul>

3. Arrange the Hydrogen Atoms Around Nitrogen:

<ul>
	<li>Place the three hydrogen atoms around the nitrogen atom.</li>
</ul>

4. Distribute the Electrons:

<ul>
	<li>Start by forming single bonds between the nitrogen and each hydrogen atom.</li>
	<li>Each single bond consists of 2 electrons.</li>
</ul>

<img alt="" src="data:image/png;base64,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" />

<ul>
	<li>After forming three single bonds, you have used \( 3 \times 2 = 6 \) electrons.</li>
</ul>

5. Complete the Octet (or Duets for Hydrogen):

<ul>
	<li>Each hydrogen atom already has a complete valence shell with 2 electrons.</li>
	<li>Nitrogen has 6 electrons around it (from the three bonds).</li>
	<li>It needs 8 electrons for a complete octet.</li>
	<li>Place the remaining 2 electrons as a lone pair on the nitrogen atom.</li>
</ul>

<img alt="" src="data:image/png;base64,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" />

6. Check the Formal Charges (optional but recommended for complex molecules):

<ul>
	<li>In \( \text{NH}_3 \), all atoms have a formal charge of zero, which is ideal.</li>
</ul>

<h3 align="center">Lewis Structure Representation</h3>

The Lewis structure of \( \text{NH}_3 \) can be represented as:

<img alt="" src="data:image/png;base64,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" style="text-align: -webkit-center;" />

<ul>
	<li>A nitrogen atom in the center.</li>
	<li>Three hydrogen atoms, each bonded to nitrogen with a single line (representing a pair of shared electrons).</li>
	<li>A pair of dots (representing 2 electrons) above the nitrogen atom, indicating the lone pair.</li>
</ul>

Conclusion

The Lewis structure of ammonia (\( \text{NH}_3 \)) shows a central nitrogen atom single-bonded to three hydrogen atoms, with a lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen.

This structure is essential for understanding the basic geometry and electron distribution in ammonia, which is a trigonal pyramidal shape due to the lone pair of electrons exerting a repulsive force on the bonded electron pairs.

Question

Can you draw the Lewis structure of ammonia (NH3)?

Verified by Proprep Tutor

Ask a tutor

If you have any additional questions, you can ask one of our experts.