Lewis Structure

Lewis structures are diagrams to illustrate the atomic bonding and electron-pairs in a molecule. Lewis structures are also known as electron-dot structures or diagrams. Gilbert N. Lewis first introduced these diagrams in his article entitled The Molecule and the Atom (1916).

In a Lewis structure, each atom is illustrated by its chemical symbol, excess electrons are shown as dots (in pairs next to the atoms) and bonds between the atoms are displayed as lines.