Which of the following is the best Lewis dot symbol for chlorine?

• A. Cl with five dots around the symbol
• B. Cl with eight dots around the symbol
• C. Cl with two dots around the symbol
• D. Cl with seven dots around the symbol

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the Lewis dot symbol represents the valence electrons of an atom as dots placed around the element's chemical symbol.
2. Determine the number of valence electrons for chlorine by looking at its group number in the periodic table. Chlorine is in Group 17, so it has 7 valence electrons.
3. Represent these 7 valence electrons as dots around the symbol 'Cl'. Each dot corresponds to one valence electron.
4. Arrange the dots around the symbol in pairs on four sides (top, bottom, left, right) following the convention of placing one electron on each side before pairing them.
5. Verify that the total number of dots equals 7, which correctly represents chlorine's valence electrons in the Lewis dot symbol.