Solve Octet/Duet Rule Equation: NOCl?? | Answer

[hockeyfghts5]

Homework Statement

Using your knowledge of the octet rule and the duet rule, determine the missing subscript (??) for the compound below.

NOCl??

What is a good way of solving this type of equation and what is the answer. I figure you need to draw a Lewis dot structure but knowing what else is need i don't know.

 

[chemisttree]

Homework Statement

Using your knowledge of the octet rule and the duet rule, determine the missing subscript (??) for the compound below.

NOCl??

...I figure you need to draw a Lewis dot structure...

Yes, try that. You should be able to determine a reasonable oxidation number. Once you have that, balance the total negative charge with positive.

 

[Blueshift5]

The octet rule states that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons in order to achieve a stable outer electron configuration of eight valence electrons. The duet rule applies to hydrogen and states that it tends to gain, lose, or share electrons in order to achieve a stable outer electron configuration of two valence electrons. In NOCl, the central atom, nitrogen, has five valence electrons and needs three more to achieve an octet. Chlorine has seven valence electrons and needs one more to achieve an octet. Therefore, the subscript for NOCl would be 3. This means that there are three chlorine atoms bonded to one nitrogen atom, each sharing one electron to form three covalent bonds and fulfilling the octet rule for both atoms. The Lewis dot structure for NOCl would look like this:

N: 1 bond (with one Cl), 3 lone pairs
O: 0 bonds, 6 lone pairs
Cl: 1 bond (with N), 3 lone pairs

To solve this type of equation, you can follow these steps:
1. Determine the number of valence electrons for each atom in the compound.
2. Draw the Lewis dot structure for each atom, indicating the number of bonds and lone pairs.
3. Determine the number of bonds needed to fulfill the octet rule for each atom.
4. Add up the total number of bonds needed for all atoms.
5. Subtract the number of existing bonds from the total number of needed bonds. The difference will give you the number of bonds that need to be formed.
6. Divide this number by 2 to get the subscript for the compound.

In this case, since there are 3 bonds needed and each bond consists of 2 electrons, the subscript for NOCl is 3.

I hope this helps!