What is the Lewis Structure of CNO?

The Lewis structure for the CNO molecule (Cyanate ion, OCN^–) can be represented by drawing the atoms and their valence electrons.

First, let’s identify the total number of valence electrons available for CNO:

• Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons.
• Nitrogen (N) has 5 valence electrons.
• Oxygen (O) has 6 valence electrons.
• As an ion, we also add 1 additional electron due to the negative charge.

This gives us a total of 4 + 5 + 6 + 1 = 16 valence electrons to work with.

Next, we can start sketching the structure:

1. Place Carbon as the central atom, with Nitrogen and Oxygen around it.
2. Connect C to N and O with single bonds initially. This uses up 4 electrons (2 for each bond).
3. So far, we have 16 – 4 = 12 electrons left.

Now we need to complete the octets of the surrounding atoms. Start by adding lone pairs:

• Add 3 lone pairs to Oxygen (6 electrons) to complete its octet.
• Add 1 lone pair to Nitrogen (2 electrons) to give it a total of 8 electrons.

After that, distribute the remaining electrons to Carbon. After placing these electrons, we can see the structure:

However, Carbon does not complete its octet in this arrangement. So, we form a double bond between Carbon and Nitrogen:

1. Remove one lone pair from Nitrogen (2 electrons) and use those to form a double bond with Carbon.
2. Now, Carbon has 8 electrons and the structure appears stable.

Thus, the final Lewis structure looks like this:

– C is double bonded to N
– N is single bonded to O
– O has three lone pairs

This structure effectively illustrates how the atoms are bonded and accounts for the overall negative charge of the ion.