How to Draw the Lewis Structure of Nitrite Ion (NO2-)

TL;DR

To draw the Lewis structure of the nitrite ion (NO2-), start with 18 valence electrons: 5 from nitrogen and 12 from two oxygen atoms, plus 1 for the negative charge. Place one lone pair on the nitrogen and form bonds with oxygen, resulting in a structure featuring a double bond to one oxygen. The molecular geometry is bent, and nitrogen has sp2 hybridization.

Transcript

in this video we're going to talk about how to draw the lewis structure of the nitrite ion no2 minus so as always one of the first things we need to do is count the number of valence electrons in this ion so let's go ahead and do that nitrogen is found in group 5a of the periodic table and so it has 5 valence electrons oxygen is a calcagen found in... Read More

Key Insights

• 😑 Valence electrons in the nitrite ion: Nitrogen contributes 5, while each oxygen contributes 6, totaling 18.
• 🌀 Lone pairs on the central nitrogen atom: The highest multiple of 8 below 18 is 16, resulting in one lone pair.
• ⏫ Lewis structure and resonance structures: The lewis structure is drawn with one lone pair on nitrogen, a double bond between oxygen atoms, and bonds with the remaining oxygen. Resonance structures involve moving the double bond.
• 😑 Molecular geometry and hybridization: The molecular geometry of the nitrite ion is bent, and the nitrogen atom has sp2 hybridization.

Questions & Answers

Q: How many valence electrons does the nitrite ion have?

The nitrite ion has a total of 18 valence electrons, with nitrogen contributing 5 and each oxygen contributing 6.

Q: How many lone pairs are present on the central nitrogen atom in the nitrite ion?

The central nitrogen atom in the nitrite ion has one lone pair.

Q: Why does one oxygen atom in the nitrite ion have a double bond?

To satisfy the oxide rule, the nitrogen atom can form a maximum of 8 electrons around it. With one bond, there would be a total of 4 electrons, so one oxygen atom forms a double bond to reach the maximum of 8.

Q: How do you draw the resonance structures of the nitrite ion?

The resonance structures are obtained by moving the double bond between the oxygen atoms. One resonance structure has the double bond on the left oxygen atom, while the other has it on the right oxygen atom.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The nitrite ion (NO2-) has a total of 18 valence electrons, with nitrogen contributing 5 and each oxygen contributing 6.

• The highest multiple of 8 below 18 is 16, so the central nitrogen atom will have one lone pair.

• The lewis structure is drawn by placing the lone pair on the nitrogen atom and forming bonds with the oxygen atoms. One oxygen atom has a double bond.

• The resonance structure can be achieved by moving the double bond between the oxygen atoms.

• The molecular geometry of the nitrite ion is bent, and the nitrogen atom has sp2 hybridization.

• The formal charge is calculated as the difference between the number of valence electrons and the bonds and lone pairs around each atom.