Example 1
What is the Lewis electron dot diagram for each element?
- aluminum
- selenium
Solution
-
The valence electron configuration for aluminum is 3s23p1. So it would have three dots around the symbol for aluminum, two of them paired to represent the 3s electrons:
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The valence electron configuration for selenium is 4s24p4. In the highest-numbered shell, the n = 4 shell, there are six electrons. Its electron dot diagram is as follows:
Test Yourself
What is the Lewis electron dot diagram for each element?
- phosphorus
- argon
Answer
For atoms with partially filled d or f subshells, these electrons are typically omitted from Lewis electron dot diagrams. For example, the electron dot diagram for iron (valence shell configuration 4s23d6) is as follows:
