Write the Lewis Structure for the CN− Ion

• We begin by writing the skeletal structure:

C N

• Calculate the total number of electrons for the Lewis structure by summing the number of valence electrons for each atom and adding one for the negative charge.

(# valence e− in C) + (# valance e− in N) + 1e− for − charge

4 e− + 5 e− + 1 e− = 10 e−