Lewis structure of SnCl2

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The Lewis structure of SnCl₂ contains two single bonds, with tin in the center, and two chlorines on either side. There are three lone pairs on each chlorine atom, and one lone pair on the tin atom.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of SnCl₂.

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

Now SnCl₂ has one tin atom and two chlorine atoms.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of tin atom + (valence electrons of chlorine atom × 2)

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 4 + 14 = 16

• 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 tin and chlorine as follows:

Electronegativity value of tin = 1.96
Electronegativity value of chlorine = 3.16

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

So now, put tin in the center and chlorines on either side. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of SnCl₂ something like this:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of CH₂NH (5 steps)

#2 Show chemical bond

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

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of HClO₂ (5 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 16 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used four valence electrons. Hence, twelve valence electrons are remaining.

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

Note that tin 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 (tin) will not get any lone pair, because all six lone pairs are used.

So the Lewis structure of SnCl₂ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (tin), 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 HClO₃ (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 tin atom

Valence electrons = 4
Nonbonding electrons = 2
Bonding electrons = 4

Formal charge = 4 – 2 – ½ (4) = 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 SnCl₂ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the formal charges of both (tin and chlorine) are zero. Therefore, this is the stable Lewis structure of SnCl₂.

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

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Related

• Lewis structure of CH₂NH
• Lewis structure of HClO₂
• Lewis structure of HClO₃
• Lewis structure of KrF₄
• Lewis structure of HClO₄

External links

• Chemical Bonding: SnCl2 Lewis Structure – The Geoexchange
• SnCl2 Lewis Structure in 5 Steps (With Images) – Pediabay
• SnCl2 lewis structure, molecular geometry, bond angle, hybridization – Topblogtenz
• SnCl2 lewis structure – Laurence Lavelle
• Draw and explain the Lewis structure of SnCl2 – Homework.Study.com
• SnCl2 lewis structure — is this correct? – Chegg
• Tin(Ⅱ) chloride – Wikipedia
• Stannous Chloride | SnCl2 | CID 24479 – National Institutes of Health (.gov)
• SnCl2 lewis structure — is this correct? – OneClass
• What is the Structure for SnCl2? – Answers
• What is the hybridization of Sn in SnCl2? – Quora