Lewis structure of ICl

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The Lewis structure of ICl contains a single bond between the iodine atom and chlorine atom, and both the atoms have three lone pairs.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of ICl.

#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… both iodine and chlorine are the group 17 elements. Hence, both iodine and chlorine have seven valence electrons.

Now ICl has one iodine atom and one chlorine atom.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of iodine atom + valence electrons of chlorine atom

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 7 + 7 = 14

• Now decide the central atom

The atom with the least electronegative value is placed at the center. By looking at the periodic table, we get the electronegativity values for iodine and chlorine as follows:

Electronegativity value of iodine = 2.66
Electronegativity value of chlorine = 3.16

Obviously, iodine is less electronegative than chlorine. Hence, assume that iodine is the central atom.

So now, put iodine and chlorine next to each other. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of ICl something like this:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of SO₂Cl₂ (5 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 C₄H₁₀ (3 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 14 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used two valence electrons. Hence, twelve valence electrons are remaining.

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

Note that iodine is a period 5 element, so it can keep more than 8 electrons in its last shell. And chlorine is a period 3 element, so it can 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 chlorine, so chlorine will get three lone pairs. And the central atom (iodine) will also get three lone pairs.

So the Lewis structure of ICl looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (iodine), 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 ClO₂ Lewis structure (6 steps)

#5 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 iodine atom

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

Formal charge = 7 – 6 – ½ (2) = 0

• For chlorine 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 ICl looks something like this:

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

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

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Related

• Lewis structure of SO₂Cl₂
• Lewis structure of C₄H₁₀
• ClO₂ Lewis structure
• Lewis structure of SCl₄
• Lewis structure of SeO₃

External links

• Drawing the Lewis Structure for ICl (Iodine Chloride) – The Geoexchange
• ICl Lewis Structure in 5 Steps (With Images) – Pediabay
• Write a Lewis structure for ICl. Show all bonding valence electron pairs as lines and all nonbonding valence electron pairs as dots – Homework.Study.com
• Iodine monochloride – Wikipedia
• Write Lewis structure for the molecule: ICl – Quizlet
• ICl (Iodine Monochloride) Oxidation Number – ChemicalAid