Question

exit ticket: lewis dot diagrams practice
which of the following electron dot notations is correct for the element calcium, ca, atomic #20?

Explanation:

Step1: Determine electron - configuration of calcium

Calcium has an atomic number of 20. Its electron - configuration is 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶4s². The outermost shell is the 4s shell which has 2 electrons.

Step2: Draw Lewis dot structure

In a Lewis dot structure, we represent the valence electrons as dots around the symbol of the element. Since calcium has 2 valence electrons, there should be 2 dots around the 'Ca' symbol.

Answer:

The correct Lewis dot structure has 2 dots around the 'Ca' symbol (the first option shown in the image where there are two dots, one on each side of the 'Ca' symbol is correct assuming the first option is the one with two non - paired dots around 'Ca').