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ScienceQuest

Nitrogen (N₂) Lewis structure

10 valence electrons, linear

N N
N₂ as the Lewis Structure Generator draws it: lone pairs as dots.

Build N₂ step by step in the Lewis Structure Generator

What is the Lewis structure of N₂?

Nitrogen, N₂, has 10 valence electrons. Its two atoms are joined by one N≡N triple bond. It carries one lone pair on each N. Every formal charge is zero. As two atoms it is linear, and the molecule is nonpolar.

Valence electrons in N₂

Element Group Valence electrons Atoms Electrons
Nitrogen 15 5 2 10
Total 10

In one line: 2 × 5 = 10. Each atom brings the valence electrons its group gives it.

How to draw the N₂ Lewis structure

  1. Count the valence electrons. Valence electrons: each N 5. 2 × 5 = 10.
  2. Join the two atoms. With only two atoms there is no choice to make: they bond to each other.
  3. Join the atoms with single bonds. One single bond uses 2 electrons, leaving 10 − 2 = 8.
  4. Place the lone pairs. Neither atom is an outer one, so the 8 left go on the two atoms as three lone pairs on one N and one on the other. Now one N has 8 electrons round it and the other 4.
  5. Make multiple bonds where needed. One N has only 4 electrons, so two lone pairs move into the bond, making N≡N, and both N now have 8.

Lone pairs and formal charges in N₂

Atom Number Bonds Lone pairs Electrons round it Formal charge, V − N − B/2
N 2 one triple bond 1 8 5 − 2 − 3 = 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 N₂

Central atom none, two atoms
Electron geometry linear
Molecular geometry linear
Ideal bond angle none, two atoms
Polarity, an estimate nonpolar

Two identical atoms share the electrons equally.

N₂ Lewis structure compared with its molecular orbital diagram

Lewis structure Molecular orbital diagram
Bond order 3 3
Unpaired electrons 0 0

In the molecular orbital diagram N₂’s 10 valence electrons put 8 in bonding orbitals and 2 in antibonding ones, so its bond order is (8 − 2)/2 = 3. The Lewis structure gives the same bond order and the same number of unpaired electrons. The measured bond length is 110 pm (Huber and Herzberg, Constants of Diatomic Molecules, 1979). The Molecular Orbital Diagram Visualizer draws the diagram level by level.

Work with N₂