Electron counting

Electron counting is a way to understand how atoms and molecules interact with each other. It is a way to keep track of where each electron is and how they are arranged.

The electrons in an atom or molecule are like tiny balls. We can count them and put them in different places around the atom or molecule. Electrons can be paired, meaning two electrons next to each other, or they can be alone. When electrons come together, they can make special shapes to attract other atoms or molecules nearby. This is how atoms and molecules stick together and form molecules.

When electron counting, it helps to use a diagram to show how the electrons are arranged and how many of them are in each spot. This diagram is called a Lewis Dot Diagram and the dots represent where the electrons are located. It is also important to make sure that each atom has the same number of electrons as it has protons, which is called keeping track of "electron balance". This way, we can make sure that the atoms are stable and don’t react too much with each other.