Answer to Question #145608 in General Chemistry for Kay

Question

How to draw the lewis dot structure for sodium hypochlorite?

Answer 1

Step 1: Determine the total number of valence electrons.

Step 2: Write the skeleton structure of the molecule.

Step 3: Use two valence electrons to form each bond in the skeleton structure.

Step 4: Try to satisfy the octets of the atoms by distributing the remaining valence electrons as nonbonding electrons

Hypochlorite is ClO^- so you have Na⁺ and ClO^-

Cl has 7 valence electrons

O has 6

+1 from the charge = 14 total

2 form a bond between Cl and O, 12 are left over

Use them to make three lone pairs around each atom, not hard at all right? The O has a negative formal charge here.