Which diagram of water molecules is correct?

[lioric]

TL;DR Summary

Which way is the correct way to draw dot and cross covalent structures

I've seen both types of diagrams when drawing covalent dot and cross diagrams. And some students that I teach said that the electrons should be on the circles.
But I do know that this is actually showing the electron overlap and electron field and in reality electrons are not in circular orbits, it's more complex than that. So is either of these correct?

 

[Bystander]

No. These are representations. Models/simulacra/...

 

[jim mcnamara]

Students new to Chemistry often take the representations meant to learn something like, maybe bonding, but they take it literally and assume these have direct physical meaning. Just because you can draw it does not make it reality. Example: I can draw unicorns.

 

[lioric]

Thank you very much for your input
May I know the proper way to draw the dot cross / Lewis structure

 

[Bystander]

proper way

You will have to tell us a bit more about yourself to give us an idea which "proper way" applies; age, professional/amateur/physicist/chemist/biologist/geologist... We can see what you're asking; just ask the question. What do you actually want to know?

 

[lioric]

You will have to tell us a bit more about yourself to give us an idea which "proper way" applies; age, professional/amateur/physicist/chemist/biologist/geologist... We can see what you're asking; just ask the question. What do you actually want to know?

For grade 8,9,10 chemistry students

 

[Bystander]

For grade 8,9,10

Thank you.

 

[Borek]

There is no such thing as a "proper way" here. There are conventions of drawing the diagram, you can freely choose whichever suits you best (preferably the one course textbook uses, it will make easier for you and your students to discuss the bonds). But the important thing here is: don't let the convention become a "fact". Diagram is a way of expressing some underlying logic, convention is a way of drawing the diagram - it is the underlying logic that is important, everything else is secondary.

(Actually even this "logic" is a simplification of reality and is in a way secondary to what is really going on in molecules).

 

[lioric]

There is no such thing as a "proper way" here. There are conventions of drawing the diagram, you can freely choose whichever suits you best (preferably the one course textbook uses, it will make easier for you and your students to discuss the bonds). But the important thing here is: don't let the convention become a "fact". Diagram is a way of expressing some underlying logic, convention is a way of drawing the diagram - it is the underlying logic that is important, everything else is secondary.

(Actually even this "logic" is a simplification of reality and is in a way secondary to what is really going on in molecules).

Thank you very much for all your input. When I talk here it always dawn's up on me for how little I know and that there is so much of knowledge out there.
I really appreciate your help.
I'll consider this as resolved

 

[DrDu]

You are a teacher? Then maybe you ought to consult an introductory text on theoretical chemistry, like (the first decent looking find in google):
http://simons.hec.utah.edu/NewUndergradBook/TableofContents.html

 

[lioric]

You are a teacher? Then maybe you ought to consult an introductory text on theoretical chemistry, like (the first decent looking find in google):
http://simons.hec.utah.edu/NewUndergradBook/TableofContents.html

Yes I'm a teacher.
I just wanted to see if drawing in either method would be wrong
I do know it's a concept and neither of them is how real structure looks like
Thank you for the link