Lewis Dot Structure

Definition

A Lewis dot structure is a diagram that represents the valence electrons in an atom or molecule. It uses dots to represent each valence electron and lines to represent chemical bonds.

Related terms

Valence Electrons:

Electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom that are involved in chemical bonding.

Octet Rule:

The concept that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons in order to achieve a full outer shell with 8 electrons (except for hydrogen which only needs 2).

Chemical Bond:

A force of attraction between two atoms that holds them together and is formed by sharing or transferring electrons.