“With this 2-D depiction’s molecular art,
We’ll some insights on bonding begin to impart:
Atoms’ valence electrons arranged, as we do this.
(A rhyme scheme from Seuss, for the structures from Lewis.)”
Three poems were posted on March 2, which was “Dr. Seuss Day,” in honor of Theodore Geisel’s birthday. The first of these 2 March 2020 poems employs roughly the same rhyme scheme as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” which is written primarily in anapestic tetrameter (a fact which leads to a rather grievous pun in this essay’s title). This poem provides some background on Lewis structures, which are simple depictions of molecular compounds.
With this 2-D depiction’s molecular art, /
We’ll some insights on bonding begin to impart…
Lewis structures (also called “electron dot structures”) are two-dimensional (“2-D”) drawings on paper rather than molecular models, dash-wedge notation, or any of the other three-dimensional representations that chemists use to explain molecular behaviors. They are pictorial representations of compounds (“molecular art”) and provide initial insights into molecular structure via chemical bonding. However, these structures provide simplistic views only: they “begin to impart” understanding, but a General Chemistry student will quickly supplement this view of chemical bonding with more complex discussions of three-dimensional structure, such as valence-shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory.
Atoms’ valence electrons arranged, as we do this.
To draw a Lewis structure, we count the number of valence electrons in a given compound, then arrange those electrons via bonds (represented with lines) and lone pairs (represented with pairs of dots). The goal is generally that the octet rule will be obeyed for all atoms in the structure: that through covalent bonds and lone pairs, eight valence electrons will surround each atom, so that each atom achieves a “full octet” and thus stability. As with any rule, exceptions exist.
(A rhyme scheme from Seuss, for the structures from Lewis.)
This last line acknowledges both the punchline to the poem, revealing the concept of interest, and the homage in the poem’s style (“a rhyme scheme from Seuss”). The anapestic tetrameter and amphibrachic tetrameter used here are most familiar to me from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” but the styles are closely associated with Dr. Seuss’s work and comic verse in general. Aiming to fit a chemical discussion into this more complex setting was a fun challenge.
Chemphasis 