Draw lewis dot structure of HClO₃.How to predict the lewis dot structure of this compound?I mean in this we can also draw structure with one lone pair electron and without any lone pair electron.

Please help me out of this.

To draw the Lewis dot structure of HClO₃, or chloric acid, we need to consider the arrangement of atoms, the total number of valence electrons, and how they are distributed to satisfy the octet rule. Let's break this down step by step.

Understanding Valence Electrons

First, we need to determine the total number of valence electrons in HClO₃. Each atom contributes the following number of valence electrons:

• Hydrogen (H): 1
• Chlorine (Cl): 7
• Oxygen (O): 6 (and there are three oxygen atoms)

Now, we can calculate the total:

Total Valence Electrons = 1 (H) + 7 (Cl) + 3 × 6 (O) = 1 + 7 + 18 = 26

Building the Skeleton Structure

Next, we arrange the atoms. Chlorine is the central atom because it can form multiple bonds and is less electronegative than oxygen. The skeleton structure will look like this:

H - Cl - O - O - O

However, we need to consider that chlorine can form double bonds with oxygen. Therefore, a more accurate representation would be to have one double bond with one oxygen atom and single bonds with the other two oxygen atoms:

H - Cl = O
|
O
|
O

Distributing the Electrons

Now, we need to distribute the 26 valence electrons. Start by placing single bonds between the atoms, which uses up 6 electrons (3 bonds). This leaves us with:

26 - 6 = 20 electrons remaining

Next, we can place lone pairs on the oxygen atoms. Each oxygen atom can have 6 electrons (3 lone pairs) to complete their octet. However, since one oxygen is double-bonded to chlorine, it will only need 4 more electrons (2 lone pairs) to complete its octet:

• Double-bonded O: 2 electrons in bond + 4 electrons as lone pairs = 6 total
• Single-bonded O (two of them): 2 electrons in bond + 6 electrons as lone pairs = 8 total each

Final Structure and Lone Pairs

After placing the lone pairs, we can summarize the structure:

H - Cl = O
|
O:
|
O:

In this structure, the chlorine atom has one lone pair of electrons. However, if you were to consider a structure without a lone pair on chlorine, you would need to adjust the bonds, which is less common for HClO₃. The presence of a lone pair on chlorine is more stable and reflects the actual structure of chloric acid.

Summary of Key Points

• Count total valence electrons: 26 for HClO₃.
• Arrange atoms with chlorine as the central atom.
• Distribute electrons to satisfy the octet rule.
• Recognize that the most stable structure includes a lone pair on chlorine.

By following these steps, you can effectively predict and draw the Lewis dot structure for HClO₃, ensuring that all atoms achieve a stable electron configuration.