Write the Lewis symbols of (i) C (ii) Cl (iii) `O^(2-)` (iv) `N^(3-)`

Answer

To write the Lewis symbols for the given elements and ions, we will follow these steps:

### Step 1: Determine the number of valence electrons for each species.
- **Carbon (C)**: Carbon has an atomic number of 6, with an electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p². This means it has 4 valence electrons (2 in the s orbital and 2 in the p orbital).
- **Chlorine (Cl)**: Chlorine has an atomic number of 17, with an electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁵. This means it has 7 valence electrons (2 in the s orbital and 5 in the p orbital).
- **Oxygen ion (O²⁻)**: Oxygen has an atomic number of 8, with an electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p⁴. In the O²⁻ ion, it gains 2 additional electrons, giving it a total of 8 valence electrons.
- **Nitrogen ion (N³⁻)**: Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7, with an electron configuration of 1s² 2s² 2p³. In the N³⁻ ion, it gains 3 additional electrons, giving it a total of 8 valence electrons.

### Step 2: Draw the Lewis symbols.
- **Lewis symbol for Carbon (C)**: Representing the 4 valence electrons as dots around the symbol for carbon:
```
C
• •
• •
```

- **Lewis symbol for Chlorine (Cl)**: Representing the 7 valence electrons as dots around the symbol for chlorine:
```
Cl
• •
• • •
• • •
```

- **Lewis symbol for Oxygen ion (O²⁻)**: Representing the 8 valence electrons as dots around the symbol for oxygen, with a charge of -2:
```
O
• •
• • •
• • •
• •
(Charge: -2)
```

- **Lewis symbol for Nitrogen ion (N³⁻)**: Representing the 8 valence electrons as dots around the symbol for nitrogen, with a charge of -3:
```
N
• •
• • •
• • •
• •
(Charge: -3)
```

### Final Lewis Symbols:
1. Carbon (C):
```
C
• •
• •
```

2. Chlorine (Cl):
```
Cl
• •
• • •
• • •
```

3. Oxygen ion (O²⁻):
```
O
• •
• • •
• • •
• •
(Charge: -2)
```

4. Nitrogen ion (N³⁻):
```
N
• •
• • •
• • •
• •
(Charge: -3)
```