What is the difference between Lewis structure and bond line notation?

Question

Nolan Allen · Accepted Answer

Lewis structures show every atom, bond, and lone pair of electrons. Bond line notation omits lone pairs, C atoms, and H atoms attached to C.

Consider butan-1-ol.

The Lewis structure is

The bond line notation for butan-1-ol is

The vertices and the end of the line represent the carbon atoms.

The end carbon atom (C-4) contains three H atoms, since it has formed one bond to C-3.

The other three carbon atoms each contain two H atoms, since they have formed bonds with two other atoms.

Santiago Alfonso · Answer

undefined Lewis structure is a representation of a molecule that shows the arrangement of atoms, including lone pairs of electrons and bonds between atoms, using lines and dots to represent electrons. Bond line notation, on the other hand, is a simplified way of representing organic molecules where carbon and hydrogen atoms are not explicitly shown, and only the bonds and functional groups are represented by lines and symbols. Bond line notation is more compact and efficient for representing organic molecules, while Lewis structures provide more detailed information about the arrangement of atoms and electrons in a molecule.