Which of the following best describes the Lewis dot structure of neutral calcium chloride (CaCl_2)?

• A. Ca atom with 8 dots, each Cl atom with 8 dots, and no charges shown.
• B. Ca atom with 2 dots, each Cl atom with 7 dots, and all atoms neutral.
• C. Ca atom with no dots, each Cl atom with 8 dots (full octet), and Ca^2+ ion bonded to two Cl^- ions.
• D. Ca atom with 2 dots, each Cl atom with 8 dots, and Ca bonded to only one Cl atom.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that calcium (Ca) is an alkaline earth metal in Group 2 of the periodic table, which means it tends to lose two electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.
2. Understand that chlorine (Cl) is a halogen in Group 17, which tends to gain one electron to complete its octet, resulting in a full set of 8 valence electrons represented as dots around the Cl atom.
3. Recognize that in calcium chloride (CaCl_2), calcium loses two electrons to form a Ca^{2+} ion, and each chlorine atom gains one electron to form two Cl^{-} ions, each with a full octet of 8 dots.
4. Draw the Lewis structure showing the Ca^{2+} ion without any dots (since it has lost its valence electrons) and two Cl^{-} ions each surrounded by 8 dots representing their full octet, indicating ionic bonding between Ca^{2+} and two Cl^{-} ions.
5. Note that no dots should be shown on the Ca atom in the Lewis structure because it has lost its valence electrons, and the charges on the ions should be indicated to reflect the ionic nature of the compound.