Lewis structure of P4

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The Lewis structure of P₄ contains six single bonds, with one phosphorus in the center, and three other phosphorus on either side. And there is one lone pair on each phosphorus atom.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of P₄.

#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… phosphorus is a group 15 element. Hence, phosphorus has five valence electrons.

Now P₄ has four phosphorus atoms.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of phosphorus atom × 4

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 5 × 4 = 20

• Now decide the central atom

There are four phosphorus atoms in P₄. Hence, we can assume any one as the central atom. Let’s assume that center phosphorus is the central atom.

So now, put one phosphorus in the center and three other phosphorus on either side. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of P₄ something like this:

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

#2 Show chemical bond

Place two electrons between the atoms to show a chemical bond. Since center phosphorus is surrounded by three other phosphorus, use twelve electrons to show six chemical bonds as follows:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of NH₂OH (4 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 20 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used twelve valence electrons. Hence, eight valence electrons are remaining.

Two valence electrons represent one lone pair. So eight valence electrons = four lone pairs.

Note that phosphorus 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 atoms are top phosphorus and bottom phosphorus, so top phosphorus and bottom phosphorus will get one lone pair. And the central atom (center phosphorus) will also get one lone pair.

So the Lewis structure of P₄ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (center phosphorus), and also on the outside atoms. 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 S₂O (6 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 each phosphorus atom

Valence electrons = 5
Nonbonding electrons = 2
Bonding electrons = 6

Formal charge = 5 – 2 – ½ (6) = 0

Mention the formal charges of atoms on the structure. So the Lewis structure of P₄ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the formal charges of all phosphorus are zero. Therefore, this is the stable Lewis structure of P₄.

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

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Related

• Lewis structure of ClF
• Lewis structure of NH₂OH
• Lewis structure of S₂O
• Lewis structure of C₂HCl
• Lewis structure of HO₂^–

External links

• P4 Lewis structure, molecular geometry, hybridization, polar or nonpolar – Topblogtenz
• Draw the Lewis structure for P4 and state its molecular geometry. Is it polar or nonpolar? – Homework.Study.com
• Lewis Structure of P4 – Laurence Lavelle
• P4 Lewis Dot Structure – Chemical Forums
• What does the Lewis structure for p4 look like? – Answers
• Ap Chemistry- Linear Lewis Structure of P4? – Reddit
• WHAT DOES THE P4 LEWIS STRUCTURE LOOK LIKE – OneClass
• P4 Lewis Structure (Tetraphosphorus) – Pinterest
• How many sigma and pi bonds are present in the P4 element? – Quora