Which of the following Lewis dot structures correctly represents lithium chloride (LiCl)?

• A. Li Cl^- (with Cl surrounded by 6 dots)
• B. Li Cl (each with one dot)
• C. Li^+ Cl (with Cl surrounded by 7 dots)
• D. Li^+ Cl^- (with Cl surrounded by 8 dots)

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the type of bond in lithium chloride (LiCl). Lithium chloride is an ionic compound formed between a metal (Li) and a nonmetal (Cl), so the bond involves transfer of electrons rather than sharing.
2. Step 2: Determine the electron configuration changes. Lithium (Li) tends to lose one electron to achieve a stable electron configuration, becoming Li⁺, while chlorine (Cl) gains one electron to complete its octet, becoming Cl⁻.
3. Step 3: Draw the Lewis dot structure for Li⁺. Since lithium loses its one valence electron, it will have no dots around it and carry a positive charge, represented as Li⁺.
4. Step 4: Draw the Lewis dot structure for Cl⁻. Chlorine gains one electron, so it will have eight dots (representing a full octet) around it and carry a negative charge, represented as Cl⁻.
5. Step 5: Combine the ions to represent the ionic compound. The correct Lewis structure shows Li⁺ without dots and Cl⁻ with eight dots around it, indicating the transfer of one electron from lithium to chlorine.