Lewis Structure Octet Rule [ENDORSED]

[Arkinrao3A]

When using the octet rule in what cases would there be an unpaired electron, and what happens to the unpaired electron when making the Lewis Structure?

[Yuchien Ma 2L]

Electrons will always fill empty shells first (Hund's rule) so make sure that you draw out the electrons on all four sides before you start pairing them.
For instance, carbon will have four valence electrons, one on each side, never two together on one side because electrons naturally repel each other.
Hope this helps!

[michaeljwilson3]

I'm confused about which cases there would be a double or triple bond?

[TiengTum2D]

I believe a double or triple bond is only needed when you have used up all the valence electrons in your Lewis structure and the central atom does not obey the octet rule (having a full shell of 8 electrons). For example, nitrate ion, NO3-, has a total of 5+3(6)+1=24 valence electrons but if you were to draw single bonds for nitrogen and draw 6 dots (electrons) around each oxygen atom, your nitrogen atom would only have 6 electrons, which violates the Octet rule. In this case, there has to be a double bond between a nitrogen and oxygen atom. Hope this helps!