gcsescience.com                                                                 28                                                                 gcsescience.com

Atomic Structure

The Structure of an Ammonia Molecule.

A nitrogen atom has 5 electrons in its outer shell.
Nitrogen is in group 5 of the periodic table.
A hydrogen atom has 1 electron in its outer shell.
Hydrogen can only form 1 bond.

Three hydrogen atoms each share their 1 electron with nitrogen
to form three covalent bonds and make an ammonia molecule  (NH₃).

Note the 3 pairs (6 electrons) shared between the atoms.
Each electron pair is one bond.

The molecule can also be shown without the circles for the shells.

The structural formula of an ammonia molecule is

               Headings               Search               Questions               

gcsescience.com      Contents      The Periodic Table      Index      Quizzes      gcsescience.com

Copyright © 2008 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.