Commonly Tested Lewis Structures

We draw Lewis Structures to predict:

-the shape of a molecule.

-the reactivity of a molecule and how it might interact with other molecules.

-the physical properties of a molecule such as boiling point, surface tension, etc.

Drawing the Lewis Structure for SCl2

Video: Drawing the Lewis Structure for SCl2


For the SCl2 Lewis structure use the periodic table to find the total number of valence electrons for the SCl2 molecule. Once we know how many valence electrons there are in SCl2 we can distribute them around the central atom with the goal of filling the outer shells of each atom.

Note that Sulfur is the least electronegative atom in the SCl2 Lewis structure and is therefore placed in the center.

For the SCl2 Lewis structure we have a total of 20 valence electrons.


It is helpful if you:

  • Try to draw the SCl2 Lewis structure before watching the video.
  • Watch the video and see if you missed any steps or information.
  • Try structures similar to SCl2 for more practice.

List of Lewis Structures

Acetone BF3 BH4- BrF5 BrO3- C2H2 C2H4 ClO-
CH4 ClO2- ClO2 ClO4- CO CS2 H2O H3O+
HCl HNO3 I3- ICl4- IF5 N2 N3- NH2OH
NH3 NO2- NO2 NO3- O2 OF2 PCl5 PH3
PO33- PO43- SCl2 SF4 SF6 SO3 SO42- XeF2
XeF4