DEFINITION
The electron dot structure (also called as the Lewis structure/ formula) is a molecular structure in which the valency electrons are shown as dots so placed between the bonded atoms that one pair of dots represents two electrons or one covalent (single) bond. A double bond is represented by two pairs of dots, etc[1].
INVENTION
The American chemist Gilbert Newton Lewis invented[2] the electron dot structure in 1916 to illustrate his postulation of the covalent bond. Here are his original electron dot structures of water (H₂O), hydrogen iodide (HI) and iodine (I₂) respectively:
INVENTOR
Here is a photograph[3] of Gilbert Newton Lewis:
1875-1946