Lewis structure of SbCl5

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The Lewis structure of SbCl₅ contains five single bonds, with antimony in the center, and five chlorines on either side. There are three lone pairs on each chlorine atom, and the antimony atom does not have any lone pair.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of SbCl₅.

#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… antimony is a group 15 element and chlorine is a group 17 element. Hence, antimony has five valence electrons and chlorine has seven valence electrons.

Now SbCl₅ has one antimony atom and five chlorine atoms.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of antimony atom + (valence electrons of chlorine atom × 5)

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 5 + 35 = 40

• 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 antimony and chlorine as follows:

Electronegativity value of antimony = 2.05
Electronegativity value of chlorine = 3.16

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

So now, put antimony in the center and chlorines on either side. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of SbCl₅ something like this:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of CH₃SH (4 steps)

#2 Show chemical bond

Place two electrons between the atoms to show a chemical bond. Since antimony is surrounded by five chlorines, use ten electrons to show five chemical bonds as follows:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of C₂H₂Br₂ (5 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 40 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used ten valence electrons. Hence, thirty valence electrons are remaining.

Two valence electrons represent one lone pair. So thirty valence electrons = fifteen lone pairs.

Note that antimony 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 atoms are chlorines, so each chlorine will get three lone pairs. And the central atom (antimony) will not get any lone pair, because all fifteen lone pairs are used.

So the Lewis structure of SbCl₅ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (antimony), 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 N₂O₃ (5 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 antimony atom

Valence electrons = 5
Nonbonding electrons = 0
Bonding electrons = 10

Formal charge = 5 – 0 – ½ (10) = 0

• For each 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 SbCl₅ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the formal charges of both (antimony and chlorine) are zero. Therefore, this is the stable Lewis structure of SbCl₅.

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

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Related

• Lewis structure of CH₃SH
• Lewis structure of C₂H₂Br₂
• Lewis structure of N₂O₃
• Lewis structure of H₂PO₄^–
• Lewis structure of C₂H₂O

External links

• SbCl5 Lewis Structure: Drawings, Hybridization, Shape, Charges, Pair and Detailed Facts – Lambda Geeks
• SbCl5 Lewis Structure in 5 Steps (With Images) – Pediabay
• Antimony pentachloride | SbCl5 | CID 24294 – National Institutes of Health (.gov)
• Predict the molecular geometry of SbCl5 – Homework.Study.com
• Antimony pentachloride – Wikipedia
• Draw a Lewis structure for SbCl5 – Chegg
• Draw a Lewis structure for SbCl5 – Bartleby
• Write a Lewis structure for SbCl5. Does this molecule obey the octet rule? – StudySoup
• SbCl5 Lewis structure – Numerade
• What is the Lewis structure for SbCl5? – OneClass