Each Oxygen atom will have four valence electrons or two pairs of electrons that do not participate in any bond formation. Arrange the remaining eight electrons around the Oxygen atom. We used up six valence electrons out of 16 ( there are three single bonds in these molecules. As a result, four more valence electrons are used in total as both these Hydrogen atoms form a single bond with oxygen atoms. Now place two Hydrogen atoms next to these Oxygen atoms.Įach Hydrogen atom only requires one more valence electron to complete its octet, and hence it forms a bond with the neighbouring Oxygen atom. So now, for H2O2 Lewis Structure, we first put the central atoms and show their bond formation with other atoms.Īs there are two Oxygen atoms here, both of these oxygen atoms take the central position and share two valence electrons to form a bond. Hydrogen atoms never take a central position in the Lewis structure.Always know the total number of valence electrons for the molecule here, H2O2 has 14 valence electrons.

( There are some exceptions to this rule, e.g., Hydrogen)

Each element follows an octet rule, in which it tries to attain a stable structure by having eight valence electrons in its outer shell.

For determining the Lewis structure, remember the following points: The Lewis dot structure for any molecule or compound helps determine the arrangement of atoms in the molecule, bonds formed, and lone pairs of electrons. Hydrogen Peroxide or H2O2 has 14 valence electrons. H2O2 total valence electrons – Valence electrons of Hydrogen + Valence electrons of Oxygen

Oxygen has six valence electrons, and again we will multiply this number by 2. Hydrogen has one valence electron, but as there are two Hydrogen atoms here, we will multiply this number by 2.

Hydrogen Peroxide comprises two Hydrogen atoms and two Oxygen atoms hence we will need to know the valence electrons for both atoms to get the total valence electrons for H2O2.

Molecular geometry table