In chemistry, a lone pair is a valence electron pair without bonding or sharing with other atoms. They are found in the outermost electron shell of an atom, so lone pairs are a subset of a molecule's valence electrons. They can be identified by examining the outermost energy level of an atom—lone electron pairs consist of paired electrons as opposed to single electrons, which may appear if the atomic orbital is not full. Electron pairs are therefore considered lone pairs if two electrons are paired but are not used in chemical bonding. Thus, the number of lone electrons plus the number of bonding electrons equal the total number of valence electrons in a compound.
Read more about Lone Pair: Examples, Angle Changes, Unusual Lone Pairs
Famous quotes containing the words lone and/or pair:
“Looks to me as if you’re trying to acquire a reputation as a lone wolf, Prewitt. You should know that in the Army, it’s not the individual that counts.”
—Daniel Taradash (b. 1913)
“Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, which in all
tongues are called fools.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)