Lone pair

As a lone pair of electrons (also called non-bonding or a literal translation of the English lone pair and lone pair of electrons ) is in chemistry a pair of valence electrons called, which is not involved in bonds between atoms, but all part of an atom. In a valence-bond, a lone pair of electrons either by two points ( IUPAC recommendation ) or represented by a dash.

Free electron pairs contribute to the spatial structure of molecules whose shape can be predicted with the electron pair repulsion model for simple compounds. The best known example is the angular shape of the water molecule, which is crucial for some properties of the water.

As opposed to a free electron pair is a binding electron pair, the connection between two atoms dar. This is referred to as covalent bond.