Lewis Dot Structures: Ionization Energy

[Samantha Chang 2K]

Why do we choose the atom with the lowest ionization energy as the central atom for Lewis Dot Structures?

[Rebecca Park]

Mostly because it has the most open spaces to add

[Celeste 1I]

I like to think of it as how many "open" spaces the atoms have. For example, when choosing what the central atom in CO2 is, C has 4 open spaces while O has 2 to fill the shells. So, it would make sense to choose C since it has more open spaces. Hope this helps!

[Luis_Yepez_1F]

The element with the lowest energy means that it can bond with more elements, which is why it is a great starting point in the center.

[Soyoung Park 1H]

Does anyone know where to start drawing dots? For Chlorine for example, all sides have two dots except for the left one. I'm not sure of the order.

[deepto_mizan1H]

Since it has the lowest ionization energy, you can think of it in terms of is it more willing to gain or lose an electron (become an ion) or to ultimately share or gain the electron in a bond. C is generally a "backbone" for structures because it is direct in the middle with 4 valence electrons, making it a perfect acceptor of bonds. Elements such as H or Cl would not particularly enjoy that benefit as it is near completion already. Additionally, when creating the structures it doesn't matter which side you put the valence dots as long as they are accurate in number and placement on the respective atoms.

[Samantha Chang 2K]

Thanks guys! This really helped :)