Center of a Lewis Structure

[405289292]

For the sake of this class, should we assume that the atom with the lowest ionization energy is in the middle of the Lewis structure?

[Shail Avasthi 2C]

Yes. Lavelle said in lecture that this is the best way of going about drawing lewis structures for this class.

[ngarcia]

Yes. Typically, the atom that is alone or has the lowest quantity in the formula is at the center of the Lewis structure.

[Angus Wu_4G]

Sometimes I go by the rule that the atom that is able to form the most bonds is the central atom of a lewis structure, though not an official rule, it has served me pretty well in the past.

[Michelle Song 1I]

I go with the least electronegative atom, which tends to be the atom with the lowest ionization energy except in the case of nitrogen and oxygen, in which oxygen has a lower ionization energy but is more electronegative (in this case, I believe nitrogen is used as the central atom).

[abby hyman]

I figure out which atom is the least electronegative which is often the one with the lowest ionization energy. Nitrogen and Oxygen are exceptions to this though

[emwoodc]

yes, lavelle specified in class that the atom with the lowest ionization energy should be at the center

[Megan Jung 3A]

Yes, as a general rule the element with the lowest ionization energy should be placed as the central atom when drawing Lewis structures.