Structural formulas Dots and dashes

Compounds that have the same moleculcir formula but different structures eire called isomers of each other. To identify the exact covalent compound, you need its structural formula. 

The structural formula shows the elements in the compound, the exact number of each atom in the compound, and the bonding pattern for the compound. The electron-dot formula and Lewis formula, which 1 cover in this section, are common structural formulas. 

The following steps explain how to write the electron-dot formula for a simple molecule — water — and provide some general guidelines to follow  

Write a skeletal structure showiug a reasonable boudiug pattern using just the element symbols. 

It doesn t matter where you put the hydrogen atoms around the oxygen. I put the two hydrogen atoms at a 90° angle to each other. 

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