To draw the correct Lewis structure for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂):
- Understand the composition:
- Hydrogen peroxide consists of two hydrogen (H) atoms and two oxygen (O) atoms.
- Arrange the atoms:
- The oxygen atoms are bonded to each other with a single bond.
- Each oxygen is also bonded to a hydrogen atom.
- Distribute electrons:
- Each oxygen atom has two lone pairs of electrons (non-bonding pairs).
- Hydrogen atoms have no lone pairs, as they only share electrons.
- Draw the structure:
- Represent bonding electrons as lines and lone pairs as dots.
- The structure looks like this:
- The dots around the oxygen atoms represent the lone pairs of electrons.
This structure satisfies the octet rule for the oxygen atoms and the duet rule for the hydrogen atoms, making it the correct Lewis structure for H₂O₂.