central atom
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Re: central atom
Hi Lauren Bui 1E! To answer your question, to decide which element is the central atom, check which element has the least electronegativity (electron pulling power). I hope this helps!
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Re: central atom
In addition to referring to the electronegativity, I would look at the compound to see which atom is more likely to form bonds. For example, carbon forms four, nitrogen three, oxygen two, etc.
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Re: central atom
The electron with the least electronegativity is the one that is the central atom but pretty much most of the time it's the element with the least amount of atoms in the molecule.
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Re: central atom
Lauren Bui 1E wrote:When drawing a lewis structure, how do you determine which atom goes in the center?
If you do not know the electronegativity, you can basically count how many bonds each atom can form and then decide. For example, H in CH4 can form 1 bond, so it's logical to put C in the center
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Re: central atom
Usually if its the only atom: e.g. CH4, then C, the unique atom, would go into the center. But in general, it is the one with the least electronegativity.
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Re: central atom
Would using the element with the lowest ionization energy be synonymous to the lowest electronegativity?
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Re: central atom
This excerpt from the book helped me a bit figuring this out. "If there is doubt, a good rule of thumb for molecules other than compounds of hydrogen is to choose as the central atom the element with the lowest ionization energy. This arrangement often results in the lowest energy because an atom in the central posi- tion shares more of its electrons than does a terminal atom. Atoms with higher ionization energies are more reluctant to share and are more likely to hold on to their electrons as lone pairs.".
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Re: central atom
Arianna Perea 3H wrote:why is the central atom the one with the least electronegativity?
The least electronegative elements are in the center of lewis structures because an atom in the central position shares more of its electrons than does an atom on the sides of the central atom or the terminal position.
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Re: central atom
The central atoms should be the least electronegative atom. My TA also mentioned that if you have a molecule and its like one of an element and 4 of another then the central atom will probably be the element that only has one.
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