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ScienceQuest

Dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) Lewis structure

20 valence electrons, tetrahedral

C H Cl H Cl
CH₂Cl₂ as the Lewis Structure Generator draws it: lone pairs as dots.

Build CH₂Cl₂ step by step in the Lewis Structure Generator

What is the Lewis structure of CH₂Cl₂?

Dichloromethane, CH₂Cl₂, has 20 valence electrons. Carbon is the central atom, joined by two C−H single bonds and two C−Cl single bonds. It carries three lone pairs on each Cl. Every formal charge is zero. C is AX₄: tetrahedral, with an ideal bond angle of 109.5°, and the molecule is polar.

Valence electrons in CH₂Cl₂

Element Group Valence electrons Atoms Electrons
Carbon 14 4 1 4
Hydrogen 1 1 2 2
Chlorine 17 7 2 14
Total 20

In one line: 4 + 2 × 1 + 2 × 7 = 20. Each atom brings the valence electrons its group gives it.

How to draw the CH₂Cl₂ Lewis structure

  1. Count the valence electrons. Valence electrons: C 4, each H 1 and each Cl 7. 4 + 2 × 1 + 2 × 7 = 20.
  2. Choose the central atom. C goes in the middle: C is the least electronegative atom other than H, χ 2.55 against 3.16 for Cl.
  3. Join the atoms with single bonds. Four single bonds use 8 electrons, leaving 20 − 8 = 12.
  4. Complete the outer atoms. Each outer atom takes enough lone pairs to reach eight, H needing nothing more than its bond: 2 Cl × 6 = 12, leaving 12 − 12 = 0.
  5. Put the rest on the central atom. Nothing is left, so C gets no lone pair, and C now has 8 electrons round it.
  6. Make multiple bonds where needed. Every atom already has an octet, so no lone pair needs to become a bond.

Lone pairs and formal charges in CH₂Cl₂

Atom Number Bonds Lone pairs Electrons round it Formal charge, V − N − B/2
C (central) 1 four single bonds 0 8 4 − 0 − 4 = 0
H 2 one single bond 0 2 1 − 0 − 1 = 0
Cl 2 one single bond 3 8 7 − 6 − 1 = 0

V is the atom’s valence electrons, N its nonbonding electrons and B its bonding electrons. The formal charges add up to 0, the molecule’s overall charge.

Shape and polarity of CH₂Cl₂

Central atom C
VSEPR class AX₄
Electron geometry tetrahedral
Molecular geometry tetrahedral
Ideal bond angle 109.5°
Polarity, an estimate polar

Bonds of different polarity do not cancel in this shape.

C has four σ bonds and no lone pairs, four electron domains in all, so its electron geometry is tetrahedral. With no lone pairs, the molecular geometry is the same.

The VSEPR Molecular Geometry viewer turns the AX₄ shape in 3D, lone pairs included.

Work with CH₂Cl₂