center element

[205783236]

hi can someone explain to me how we know which element we put in the center for the lewis structures. im still kinda confused about that

[Carina H - 2G]

Hi!

We know the center element based on ionization energy. The element with the lowest ionization energy will be in the center. Ionization energy increases from left to right and decreases from top to bottom.

Hope this helps!

[amara ajon 1d]

Hi,
The central element is usually the one that needs the most electrons to fill its octet, or the one that is most electronegative in a compound.

[Sristi Palimar 2E]

the element with the lowest ionization energy should be placed in the center of your lewis structure. this is because the element with the lowest ionization energy typically requires the largest number of electrons to complete its octet. therefore, the element with the lowest ionization energy is able to form the most possible bonds.

[Naomi Christian 1E]

The element with the lowest ionization energy should be placed in the middle of the lewis structure.

[William Huang 1K]

The central atom has the lowest ionization energy or you can also see it as the least electronegative atom because high electronegativity atoms will want to hold on to their electrons, so being the central atom and sharing the electrons is not as favorable. This is why C is more likely to be the central atom over O or N in a compound.

[Srikar_Chintala_1E]

The atom with the lowest ionization energy is always in the middle. You can decipher this based on the periodic trends for ionization energy (increase from left to right and decreases from top to bottom)

[Charlie Sjogren-Black]

The atom with the lowest ionization energy is always put in the middle of a lewis structure.

[Julia Todorov 2F]

The element with the lowest ionization energy should be placed in the middle of the lewis dot structure which you can figure out looking at the periodic table. it inscreases from left to right, and decreases moving down

[Veronica Larson- 1I]

Whichever element has the lowest ionization energy should go in the middle. On the periodic table, it increases from left to right, and decreases from top to bottom.

[Rachel Bartley 2B]

The atom with the lowest ionization energy is put at the center because it requires the largest number of e- to complete the octet. So as you go across a period, ionization energy increases because as you move across a period, elements gain electrons.

[Martha Avila 1I]

Hello! So we decide which element to put in the center of the lewis structure by determining which has the lowest ionization energy. So the trend as you look at the periodic table is as follows, ionization energy increases as you move across a group and decreases as you move down a period. Once given a molecule you must look at the periodic table and determine which element has the lowest ionization energy. Hope this helps.

[Aaron Kim 1J]

The element with the lowest ionization energy will be in the center of your Lewis structure; the element with the lowest ionization energy usually requires the largest number of electrons to completely fill its octet, meaning the element with the lowest ionization energy is able to form the greatest possible number of bonds.

[Sanjana Narayanan 2J]

To add to these posts, I also believe hydrogen is generally not a central atom.

[Nico Towfighian 3L]

The central atom is usually the one with the least ionization energy/electronegative energy because it's electron(s) is/are being pulled by more stronger atoms with higher ionization energies/electronegativity

[Jordyn Lee 1J]

Hi, you put the element with the lowest ionization energy (energy needed to remove an electron from an atom) in the center because it can form the most bonds.

[Allison Peng 1D]

Lowest ionization energy/lowest electron affinity/highest formal charge atom goes in the center. those things all correlate with each other, since low IE means that electrons are removed easily/the atom doesn't "want" electrons, and thus the formal charge is more likely to be positive to represent less electrons in the center during its bonded state than the atom alone. Since the electron in the center has to "share" the most electrons, it makes sense why it would have low electron affinity.

[Mahima Manoj 1F]

As the other posts say, it depends on the ionization energy. The lowest ionization energy atom goes in the center.

[Windell Viste 1K]

We usually put the element that has the lowest ionization energy in the center!