Electronic Cereal
Name:______________________________ Date:___________ Period:______
Chemistry: Electronic Cereal
VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) Theory
Goal 1: To use pieces of cereal to represent electrons around an element’s symbol drawn on
a piece of paper.
Goal 2: To work in groups to create electron dot structures for various compounds and
identify the shape and polarity of each.
Part I: Diatomic Molecules
Construct the following diatomic elements by completing the following (use page 217 for help
with the first formula).
Step 1: Write the chemical formula.
Step 2: Construct the electron dot structure with your cereal then draw it in the chart below.
Step 3: Draw the structural formula.
Note: Your teacher will initial as she comes around, LEAVE CEREAL STRUCTURES OUT
TO BE CHECKED.
Note: Polar and Nonpolar section will be completed later
Name
Fluorine
Chemical
Formula
F2
Lewis structure
F
F
Structural
Formula
F
F
Shape
Polar
Or
Nonpolar
Teacher
Initials
Linear
Chlorine
Bromine
Iodine
Hydrogen
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Chemistry- Unit 6
DRAFT
1
Part 2: Molecular Structures
A molecule can be represented on paper in several ways. The chemical formula shows the
number and kind of each atom in a molecule.
Example:
NH3
The Lewis structure shows the arrangement of the atoms of a molecule in two dimensions. In
a Lewis structure, the atoms, bonds, and unshared electron pairs are shown.
Example:
A structural formula is simply
the Lewis structure without the unshared electron pairs.
The main purpose of the structural formula is to show which atoms are bonded to which.
Example:
H
N
H
H
You may work in groups of two or three. It is sufficient to have one member of your group
have the “Official Initial” paper. The teacher will initial only this paper, as long as the names
of all of the group members are on this paper and you show the cereal models.
Chemistry- Unit 6
DRAFT
2
Compound
Name
Carbon Dioxide
Chemical
Formula
Lewis
structure
Structural
Formula Shape
Polar or
Nonpolar
Teacher
Initials
CO2
Water
Carbon
Tetrafluoride
Ammonia
Phosphorous
Trifluoride
Dihydrogen
Sulfide
Chemistry- Unit 6
DRAFT
3
Compound
Name
Dichlorodifluoromethane
Chemical
Lewis
Formula structure
Structural
Formula
Shape
Polar or Teacher’s
Nonpolar
Initials
CCl2F2
Hydrogen
Monochloride
Trichloromethane
CHCl3
Nitrogen
Trichloride
Magnesium
Chloride
Aluminum
Chloride
Chemistry- Unit 6
DRAFT
4