Draw a Lewis dot diagram for a neutral atom of Ge
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
The Lewis dot diagram for a neutral atom of germanium (Ge) is:
Ge··
There are 4 dots around the Ge symbol.
Explanation (300 words):
Germanium (Ge) is a chemical element with atomic number 32. The atomic number tells the number of protons in the nucleus and also the number of electrons in a neutral atom. So, a neutral germanium atom has 32 electrons.
These electrons are arranged in energy levels or shells around the nucleus. The full electron configuration of germanium is:
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p²
This configuration can also be grouped by shells:
- First shell: 2 electrons
- Second shell: 8 electrons
- Third shell: 18 electrons (including the 3d¹⁰ electrons)
- Fourth shell: 4 electrons (2 in 4s and 2 in 4p)
The valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell, which for Ge is the fourth shell. It contains 4 valence electrons (2 from the 4s orbital and 2 from the 4p orbital). These are the electrons involved in bonding and are shown in the Lewis dot diagram.
The Lewis dot diagram uses the element symbol (Ge) to represent the nucleus and inner electrons. Then, up to 8 dots are placed around it to show the valence electrons. The 4 valence electrons of germanium are placed one on each side (top, bottom, left, right) before any pairing.
So, the Lewis structure for Ge shows 4 single dots around the Ge symbol. The placement of these dots follows Hund’s Rule, which states that electrons occupy empty orbitals singly before pairing.
In summary, germanium has 4 valence electrons, and its Lewis dot diagram shows the symbol “Ge” with 4 surrounding dots representing these outermost electrons. This diagram helps visualize how germanium might form chemical bonds with other elements.