Question

showing electron sharing using electron dot diagrams
which electron dot diagram shows the bonding between 2 chlorine atoms?

Explanation:

Each chlorine atom has 7 valence electrons. When two chlorine atoms bond, they share one pair of electrons. In an electron - dot diagram (Lewis structure), each chlorine atom should have 3 lone pairs and 1 shared pair.

• The first option shows two chlorine atoms with 3 lone pairs and a triple bond (3 shared pairs), which is incorrect as chlorine forms a single bond.
• The second option shows two chlorine atoms with 3 lone pairs and a single shared pair (in the form of two dots between them), which is correct.
• The third option shows an incorrect representation with a single dot (not a pair) between the chlorine atoms.
• The fourth option shows a triple - bond (3 shared pairs) which is wrong for chlorine - chlorine bonding.

Answer:

The second electron - dot diagram (the one with two dots between the two $\text{Cl}$ atoms and 3 lone pairs on each $\text{Cl}$ atom) is the correct one.