Question

Draw an electron dot diagram to show the formation of ammonium ion [Atomic number: N = 7 and H = 1].

Answer 1

Hint: Ammonium ion consists of nitrogen and hydrogen atoms as the constituents of any compound. It has a nitrogen atom and four hydrogen atoms. The formation of ammonium ion takes place when a proton is added to the stable ammonia.

Complete answer:
Let us see some facts related to the question to answer it accurately,
Ammonia consists of a nitrogen atom with three hydrogen atoms. By the basic electronic configuration, we can say that the nitrogen has the valency of 5 i.e. 5 valence electrons. Out of these 3 electrons, form a covalent bond with hydrogen by sharing an electron from each atom. Thus, three covalent bonds will be formed. So, there will be a lone pair present on the ammonia.
The lone pair present on the nitrogen atom of ammonia has the ability to share itself with the hydrogen ion thus, forming a coordinate bond between hydrogen and nitrogen i.e. ammonium ion. In the ammonium ion, nitrogen will have a positive charge on itself.
To draw an electron dot structure, we must know what we mean by the same. The electron dot structures or diagrams show how the electrons are involved in the bond formation. Here, the valence electrons of an atom are represented as dots.
Thus, the electron dot structure for given illustration can be drawn as;

Note:
Though ammonia and ammonium ion are different but the geometry for both the structures is the same i.e. tetrahedral structure. Ammonium ion is a positive species while ammonia is a neutral species i.e. having no charge on it.