In a Lewis dot structure, what do the dots around an element's symbol represent?

• A. Valence electrons
• B. Neutrons in the atom
• C. Total number of electrons
• D. Protons in the nucleus

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that a Lewis dot structure is a way to represent the valence electrons of an atom, which are the electrons in the outermost shell involved in chemical bonding.
2. Recognize that the dots placed around the element's symbol in a Lewis dot structure specifically represent these valence electrons.
3. Recall that neutrons and protons are subatomic particles located in the nucleus and are not represented in Lewis dot structures.
4. Note that the total number of electrons includes both core and valence electrons, but Lewis dot structures focus only on valence electrons because they determine bonding behavior.
5. Therefore, the dots around an element's symbol in a Lewis dot structure represent the valence electrons of that element.