A dot and cross diagram is a way to represent the bonding in a molecule by using dots to represent the valence electrons of atoms and crosses to represent the shared electrons between them.
For a hydrogen chloride (HCl) molecule, you have hydrogen (H) and chlorine (Cl) atoms.
1. Hydrogen (H) has 1 valence electron.
2. Chlorine (Cl) has 7 valence electrons.
To represent this in a dot and cross diagram, follow these steps:
1. Draw the two atoms and indicate the valence electrons around each atom with dots.
H Cl (X)
. .
2. Hydrogen (H) needs 1 more electron to complete its valence shell, while chlorine (Cl) needs 1 electron to complete its octet.
3. Draw a cross (×) between hydrogen (H) and chlorine (Cl) to represent the shared pair of electrons. This electron pair forms a single covalent bond.
H • Cl (X)
. .
4. After the formation of the bond, both hydrogen (H) and chlorine (Cl) satisfy their octet rule.
H • Cl (X)
•,• .
Thus, this is the dot and cross diagram representation of the bonding in a hydrogen chloride (HCl) molecule.
draw a dot and cross diagram to show the bonding in a hydrogen chloride molecule
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