Lewis Structure for N2O

[005199750]

I'm confused on trying to write out a Lewis Structure for N2O. How would it be written/Which atom goes in the center of the Lewis Structure in this case and why?

[chaggard]

N goes in the center because you want to have the lowest ionization energy element in the center. The structure has a triple bond to the other N atom, and a single on the O atom.

[005199750]

^but doesn't Oxygen have a lower Ionization Energy than Nitrogen because Nitrogen is more stable due to having a half-filled p-orbital?

[Christopher Tran 1J]

Nitrogen should be in the center of the Lewis structure since it is the least electronegative atom of the two.

[Nicolette_Canlian_2L]

why is nitrogen more electronegative than oxygen? Does it relate to the number of electrons filling the d-orbital?

[mbaker4E]

Oxygen is more electronegative than nitrogen, thus nitrogen is the LEAST electronegative of the two and should be in the center.

[Michael Nirula]

I think people are confused because N has a higher ionization energy than O, but O is still more electronegative than N.

[Kayla Vo 1B]

Oxygen is more electronegative than nitrogen because oxygen has a greater nuclear charge (more protons). Electronegativity in a sense measures how tightly an atoms holds its electrons, where atoms with high electronegativity are more likely to gain/share electrons rather than lose them. Nitrogen is placed in the center of the Lewis structure because it is the least electronegative, and since oxygen is more electronegative, its formal charge will have to be negative and therefore it is not placed in the center (even though it has lower ionization energy).

Nitrogen has a higher ionization energy because it has a half-filled 2p shell that makes it more stable unlike oxygen which has 2 unpaired electrons in its 2p shell which results in more electron repulsions (and therefore lowers the ionization energy). Ionization energy represents the amount of energy required to remove a valence electron.