What are lewis dot structures used for?

1 Answer
Ernest Z.
Jan 1, 2014

A Lewis structure is a type of shorthand notation, a simplistic way of representing the electrons in molecules. It is a starting point for figuring out how the atoms are arranged.

Once you know how the atoms are arranged in a molecule, you can use the principles of VSEPR theory to figure out the shape of the molecule and predict some of its properties.

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