N2 Lewis Structure
Nitrogen (dinitrogen) · Seventy-eight percent of the air, and almost completely unreactive because of that triple bond.
The N2 Lewis structure has 10 valence electrons, drawn as one N≡N bond, with two lone pairs in total. The central N is sp hybridized and the molecule is linear. N2 is nonpolar: both atoms are N, so the bonding electrons are shared evenly and there is no dipole at all.
- 10 valence e−
- linear
- sp
- nonpolar
Calculated properties
| Total valence electrons | 10 |
|---|---|
| Bonding electrons | 6 (3 shared pairs) |
| Nonbonding electrons | 4 (2 lone pairs) |
| Electron domains (steric number) | 2 |
| VSEPR notation | AX1E1 |
| Electron geometry | linear |
| Molecular geometry | linear |
| Bond angle | no angle (only two atoms) |
| Hybridization | sp |
| Polarity | nonpolar |
| Formal charges | all zero |
| Resonance structures | none |
| Molar mass | 28.014 g/mol |
How to draw the N2 Lewis structure
Step through it. The bar shows how much of the 10-electron budget is spent at each stage - it never grows, which is the whole constraint.
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Skeleton. Join every connected pair with one bond. 1 bond spends 2 electrons.
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Outer octets. Spend electrons as lone pairs on the outer atoms. That uses the entire budget, and the central atom has nothing left over.
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Multiple bonds. The central atom is short of an octet, so two lone pairs on the outer atoms move in to be shared. The electron count does not change - the same electrons are just counted by both atoms now.
The reasoning at each step
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Count the valence electrons
Add up the outer-shell electrons every atom brings. That total is the budget for the whole structure - every line and every dot has to come out of it, and nothing may be added.
2 x 5 (N) = 10 valence electrons -
Work out what is bonded to what
Two atoms, one connection. The only question is the bond order.
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Join everything with single bonds first
Every connection starts as one shared pair. Draw them all before worrying about double bonds - the arithmetic in the next step is what tells you where the double bonds have to go.
1 bond x 2 = 2 electrons used, 8 left -
Work out how far short you are
Add up what every atom still needs to fill its shell - eight electrons for most atoms, two for hydrogen - minus what its single bonds already give it. Compare that with the electrons you have left. The difference decides everything that follows.
needs 12, has 8, short by 4 -
Turn the shortfall into multiple bonds
Being short means atoms have to share more. Every pair that moves from a lone pair into a bond counts twice - once for each atom - so a shortfall of 4 is covered by 2 extra shared pairs. That is where the triple bond comes from.
N1#N2 -
Fill in the lone pairs
Every electron not in a bond sits as a lone pair on an atom. Each atom takes exactly what it needs to finish its shell - there is no choice left at this point.
N1: 1, N2: 1 (4 electrons) -
Check the formal charges
Formal charge is valence electrons, minus lone-pair electrons, minus the number of bonds. Every atom here comes out at zero, which is the sign of a good structure.
all formal charges = 0 -
Work out the shape
Count the electron domains on N: 1 bonded group plus 1 lone pair. A double or triple bond still counts as one domain, because it points in one direction. That gives linear electron geometry; ignore the lone pairs and the atoms themselves sit in a linear arrangement. Two atoms can only lie in a straight line, so there is no bond angle to measure.
steric number 2 -> sp -> linear -
Decide whether it is polar
Both atoms are N, so the bonding electrons are shared evenly and there is no dipole at all.
dipoles cancel -> nonpolar
Is N2 polar or nonpolar?
N2 is nonpolar. Both atoms are N, so the bonding electrons are shared evenly and there is no dipole at all.
| Bond | Electronegativity difference | Character |
|---|---|---|
| N–N | 0.00 | nonpolar covalent |
Common questions
How many valence electrons does N2 have?
N2 has 10 valence electrons. 6 of them are in bonds and 4 sit in lone pairs.
What is the molecular geometry of N2?
N2 is a linear molecule. The central N has 1 bonded group and one lone pair, a steric number of 2, which gives linear electron geometry and a linear molecule.
What is the hybridization of N2?
The central N in N2 is sp hybridized. Steric number 2 means 2 orbitals have to be mixed, which is exactly what sp gives you.
Is N2 polar or nonpolar?
N2 is nonpolar. Both atoms are N, so the bonding electrons are shared evenly and there is no dipole at all.