Lewis structure of SiF4

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The Lewis structure of SiF₄ contains four single bonds, with silicon in the center, and four fluorines on either side. There are three lone pairs on each fluorine atom, and the silicon atom does not have any lone pair.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of SiF₄:

#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… silicon is a group 14 element and fluorine is a group 17 element. Hence, silicon has four valence electrons and fluorine has seven valence electrons.

Now SiF₄ has one silicon atom and four fluorine atoms.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of silicon atom + (valence electrons of fluorine atom × 4)

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 4 + 28 = 32

• 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 silicon and fluorine as follows:

Electronegativity value of silicon = 1.90
Electronegativity value of fluorine = 3.98

Obviously, silicon is less electronegative than fluorine. Hence, assume that silicon is the central atom.

So now, put silicon in the center and fluorines on either side. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of SiF₄ something like this:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of OCN^– (5 steps)

#2 Show chemical bond

Place two electrons between the atoms to show a chemical bond. Since silicon is surrounded by four fluorines, use eight electrons to show four chemical bonds as follows:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of CH₃F (4 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 32 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used eight valence electrons. Hence, twenty-four valence electrons are remaining.

Two valence electrons represent one lone pair. So twenty-four valence electrons = twelve lone pairs.

Note that silicon is a period 3 element, so it can keep more than 8 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 atoms are fluorines, so each fluorine will get three lone pairs. And the central atom (silicon) will not get any lone pair, because all twelve lone pairs are used.

So the Lewis structure of SiF₄ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (silicon), 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 BrO₃^– (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 silicon atom

Valence electrons = 4
Nonbonding electrons = 0
Bonding electrons = 8

Formal charge = 4 – 0 – ½ (8) = 0

• For each 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 SiF₄ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the formal charges of both (silicon and fluorine) are zero. Therefore, this is the stable Lewis structure of SiF₄.

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

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Related

• Lewis structure of OCN^–
• Lewis structure of CH₃F
• Lewis structure of BrO₃^–
• Lewis structure of NH₄⁺
• Lewis structure of HNO

External video

• SiF4 Lewis Structure – How to Draw the Dot Structure for SiF4 – YouTube • Wayne Breslyn

External links

• SiF4 Lewis Structure in 6 Steps (With Images) – Pediabay
• SiF4 Lewis Structure, Molecular Geometry, Hybridization, and Polarity – Techiescientist
• What is the Lewis structure for SiF4? – Homework.Study.com
• SiF4 Lewis Structure, Geometry – Kemicalinfo
• Lewis structure of SiF4:Biochemhelp – AceOrganicChem
• How to draw SiF4 Lewis Structure? – Science Education and Tutorials
• Drawing the Lewis Structure for SiF4 – The Geoexchange
• What is the Lewis structure of SiF4, and how does it compare to that of nitrogen? – Quora
• Draw a valid Lewis structure for SiF4 and explain step by step – Chegg
• How many bonding orbitals are in Silicon Tetrafluoride, or SiF₄? – Socratic
• Given the lewis structure of sif4 below, what are the bond angles in the molecule? – Brainly
• The Lewis dot structure of SiF4 contains lone pairs on the central atom – Numerade
• Determine the number of valence electrons in SiF₄ and then draw the corresponding Lewis structure – Bartleby
• Is SiF4 Polar or Nonpolar? – MakeTheBrainHappy