Lewis structure of HF

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The Lewis structure of HF contains a single bond between the hydrogen atom and fluorine atom. There are three lone pairs on the fluorine atom, and the hydrogen atom does not have any lone pair.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of HF:

#1 Draw skeleton
#2 Show chemical bond
#3 Mark lone pairs
#4 Calculate formal charge and check stability (if octet is already completed on central atom)

Let’s one by one discuss each step in detail.

#1 Draw skeleton

In this step, first calculate the total number of valence electrons. And then, decide the central atom.

• Let’s calculate the total number of valence electrons

We know that… hydrogen is a group 1 element and fluorine is a group 17 element. Hence, hydrogen has one valence electron and fluorine has seven valence electrons.

Now HF has one hydrogen atom and one fluorine atom.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of hydrogen atom + valence electrons of fluorine atom

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 1 + 7 = 8

• Now decide the central atom

We can not assume hydrogen as the central atom, because the central atom is bonded with at least two other atoms. And hydrogen has only one electron in its last shell, so it can not make more than one bond.

Hence, assume that fluorine is the central atom.

So now, put hydrogen and fluorine next to each other. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of HF something like this:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of IF₅ (4 steps)

#2 Show chemical bond

Place two electrons between the atoms to show a chemical bond as follows:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of SCl₂ (4 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 8 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used two valence electrons. Hence, six valence electrons are remaining.

Two valence electrons represent one lone pair. So six valence electrons = three lone pairs.

Note that hydrogen is a period 1 element, so it can not keep more than 2 electrons in its last shell. And fluorine is a period 2 element, so it can not keep more than 8 electrons in its last shell.

Also, make sure that you start marking these lone pairs on outside atoms first. And then, on the central atom.

The outside atom is hydrogen. But hydrogen can not keep more than 2 electrons in its last shell. Hence, don’t mark the lone pairs on hydrogen.

So the central atom (fluorine) will get three lone pairs.

Now draw the Lewis structure of HF something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (fluorine), and also on the outside atom. Therefore, the octet rule is satisfied.

After completing the octet, one last thing we need to do is, calculate the formal charge and check the stability of the above structure.

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of ClF₃ (4 steps)

#4 Calculate formal charge and check stability

The following formula is used to calculate the formal charges on atoms:

Formal charge = valence electrons – nonbonding electrons – ½ bonding electrons

Collect the data from the above structure and then, write it down below as follows:

• For hydrogen atom

Valence electrons = 1
Nonbonding electrons = 0
Bonding electrons = 2

Formal charge = 1 – 0 – ½ (2) = 0

• For fluorine atom

Valence electrons = 7
Nonbonding electrons = 6
Bonding electrons = 2

Formal charge = 7 – 6 – ½ (2) = 0

Mention the formal charges of atoms on the structure. So the Lewis structure of HF looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the formal charges of both (hydrogen and fluorine) are zero. Therefore, this is the stable Lewis structure of HF.

And the horizontal line drawn in the above structure represents a pair of bonding valence electrons.

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Related

• Lewis structure of IF₅
• Lewis structure of SCl₂
• Lewis structure of ClF₃
• Lewis structure of PF₅
• Lewis structure of BeF₂

External video

• Lewis Dot Structure for HF (Hydrogen fluoride or Hydrofluoric acid) – YouTube • Wayne Breslyn

External links

• HF Lewis Structure in 6 Steps (With Images) – Pediabay
• Chemical Bonding: HF Lewis Structure – The Geoexchange
• HF Lewis Structure, Molecular Geometry, Hybridization, and Polarity – Techiescientist
• Lewis Dot of Hydrogen Fluoride HF – Kent’s Chemistry
• Draw the Lewis structure for HF – Homework.Study.com
• Draw the lewis structure for a hydrogen fluoride hf molecule – Brainly
• How to draw HF Lewis Structure? – Science Education and Tutorials
• Write the Lewis structure for hydrogen fluoride – Chegg
• Lewis structure of the hydrogen fluoride (HF) molecule – Numerade
• What is the Lewis structure for HF? – OneClass
• Draw the lewis structure to illustrate hydrogen bonding between 2 molecules of HF – Course Hero
• Lewis dot structure of hydrogen fluoride – Bartleby
• How many double bonds are in the Lewis structure for hydrogen fluoride, HF? – Quizlet
• How many double bonds are in the Lewis structure for hydrogen fluoride, which contains one hydrogen atom and one fluorine atom? – Socratic
• File:Lewis hydrogen fluoride.gif – Wikimedia Commons