Identify the correct Lewis structure of CN−. Ensure that all charges and lone pairs are shown.Group of answer choices

The Lewis structure for CN- (the cyanide ion) is as follows:

1. Count the total number of valence electrons. Carbon (C) has 4 valence electrons and Nitrogen (N) has 5 valence electrons. The extra electron from the negative charge gives us a total of 10 valence electrons.

2. Draw a skeleton structure of the molecule. In this case, it's a simple linear structure: C-N.

3. Connect the atoms with single bonds. Each bond consists of 2 electrons, so subtract these from your total count. This leaves us with 6 electrons.

4. Distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs, starting with the outer atoms first. In this case, there are no outer atoms, so we distribute them between Carbon and Nitrogen. Nitrogen gets 3 pairs (6 electrons) and Carbon gets none, as it already has 4 electrons from the bond with Nitrogen.

5. Check if all atoms have a full octet (8 electrons). Nitrogen does, but Carbon only has 4. To fix this, we move one of Nitrogen's lone pairs to form a triple bond with Carbon.

6. Finally, add brackets and the negative charge to show that it's an ion.

So, the correct Lewis structure for CN- is:

:C≡N:−

This shows a triple bond between Carbon and Nitrogen, with Nitrogen carrying the negative charge.