Drawing Lewis Structures Hydrogens are always on the outside
Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron
Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center
Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds
Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds Fill valence on outer atoms
Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds Fill valence on outer atoms Make sure center atom has octet
Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds Fill valence on outer atoms Make sure center atom has octet Form double or triple bonds if needed
Note: a nonbonding pair of electrons acts like a regular bond but takes up more room.
All bonds and lone pairs want to maximize their distance from each other