3. Drawing Lewis Structures Hydrogens are always on the outside

4. Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron

5. Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center

6. Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds

7. Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds Fill valence on outer atoms

8. Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds Fill valence on outer atoms Make sure center atom has octet

9. Drawing Lewis Structures Count valence electron Place least electronegative in center Draw dashes to form bonds Fill valence on outer atoms Make sure center atom has octet Form double or triple bonds if needed

10. Note: a nonbonding pair of electrons acts like a regular bond but takes up more room.

11. All bonds and lone pairs want to maximize their distance from each other