What is the order of the dots needed to form Lewis symbols? [CLOCKWISE]

• A. 1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 7, 5, 8
• B. 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
• C. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
• D. 1, 3, 2, 4, 6, 5, 7, 8

Answer: (A)

In Lewis symbols, you place valence electrons around the element’s symbol one by one, moving around the circle in a clockwise direction. You fill each location in order, placing a second electron on a location only after each spot has one electron, so unpaired electrons are shown first and electrons stay as spread out as possible around the symbol.

The correct pattern matches that clockwise sweep around the clock-face of positions around the symbol. It follows the idea of adding each new dot to the next spot as you move clockwise.

Other patterns don’t fit because they break the clockwise filling rule or jump around the circle, which wouldn’t reflect the standard way we lay out Lewis dots. To visualize it, imagine eight slots around the symbol arranged like a clock and place each subsequent dot on the next clockwise slot.