Question

which of the lewis structures in the image is correct?

Explanation:

• For Option A: Sulfur (\(S\)) has 6 valence electrons. In \(SBr_3\), sulfur should have a lone pair. But in this structure, there is no lone pair shown on sulfur, so it is incorrect.
• For Option B: Phosphorus (\(P\)) has 5 valence electrons. In \(PF_2\), phosphorus should have a lone pair. But in this structure, the lone - pair representation is incorrect (dots are not properly placed around \(P\) to show the valence - electron count), so it is incorrect.
• For Option C: Oxygen (\(O\)) has 6 valence electrons. In \(H_2O_2\), each oxygen should have 2 lone pairs. But in this structure, the lone pairs on oxygen are not shown, so it is incorrect.
• For Option D: Sulfur (\(S\)) has 6 valence electrons and bromine (\(Br\)) has 7 valence electrons. In \(SBr_2\), sulfur forms two single bonds with bromine atoms and has 2 lone pairs (\(6 - 2=4\) non - bonding electrons, which is 2 lone pairs), and each bromine has 3 lone pairs (\(7 - 1 = 6\) non - bonding electrons, which is 3 lone pairs). This structure correctly represents the valence - electron distribution.

Answer:

D