Octets

[Melissa Rebollar 1F]

Could someone please explain why Sulfur can have more than an octet and if that is the only exception? Thank you!

[Chem_Mod]

Remember that sulfur is in row 3 of the periodic table. It therefore has an empty d-orbital that can accept extra electrons. Thus, sulfur can have an expanded octet where it has more than 8 electrons, and in this case it has 10. That is okay. If sulfur however was in row 2, this would not be the case. There are no 2d orbitals and thus any row 2 element cannot have an expanded octet.

[sid bauer]

Does that apply for all row 3 atoms? That they can all accept more than 8 electrons? If so, can they all accept a total of 10, just like Sulfur?

Thanks

[Michelle Steinberg2J]

Does that apply for all row 3 atoms? That they can all accept more than 8 electrons? If so, can they all accept a total of 10, just like Sulfur?

Thanks

Any element that has an energy shell of n=3 or higher and is also a nonmetal can have an expanded octet. This is because they have access to the D orbital, thus they have the option of filling more shells.

Hope this helps!

[SalmaQ]

What is a resonance hybrid?

[Brigita1D]

What is a resonance hybrid?

A resonance hybrid is a "blend of structures"(textbook page 81). When we write multiple Lewis structures for one molecule, we are implying that the molecule is a mix of the structures and the electrons are varied throughout the molecule. The "sum" of these structures is the resonance hybrid representation.

[ZoeHahn1J]

Does that apply for all row 3 atoms? That they can all accept more than 8 electrons? If so, can they all accept a total of 10, just like Sulfur?

Thanks

Any element that has an energy shell of n=3 or higher and is also a nonmetal can have an expanded octet. This is because they have access to the D orbital, thus they have the option of filling more shells.

Hope this helps!

Thank you! This was very useful! However, why wouldn't silicon be able to have an expanded octet?

[Wayland Leung]

Could someone explain why some elements do not need a full octet?

[AtreyiMitra2L]

Nonmetal atoms in period 3 and higher can have can expand their octets. This can occur bc 1) the existence of empty d orbitals and 2) The size of the atom. For sulfur, because it is large enough, it can accommodate more electrons than the octet. P and Cl can do the same.