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Concept
Formal charge
Summary
In chemistry, a formal charge (F.C. or q*), in the covalent view of chemical bonding, is the hypothetical charge assigned to an atom in a molecule, assuming that electrons in all chemical bonds are shared equally between atoms, regardless of relative electronegativity. In simple terms, formal charge is the difference between the number of valence electrons of an atom in a neutral free state and the number assigned to that atom in a Lewis structure. When determining the best Lewis structure (or predominant resonance structure) for a molecule, the structure is chosen such that the formal charge on each of the atoms is as close to zero as possible.
The formal charge of any atom in a molecule can be calculated by the following equation:
where V is the number of valence electrons of the neutral atom in isolation (in its ground state); L is the number of non-bonding valence electrons assigned to this atom in the Lewis structure of the molecule; and B is the total number of electrons shared in bonds with other atoms in the molecule. It can also be found visually as shown below.
Example: CO2 is a neutral molecule with 16 total valence electrons. There are different ways to draw the Lewis structure
Carbon single bonded to both oxygen atoms (carbon = +2, oxygens = −1 each, total formal charge = 0)
Carbon single bonded to one oxygen and double bonded to another (carbon = +1, oxygendouble = 0, oxygensingle = −1, total formal charge = 0)
Carbon double bonded to both oxygen atoms (carbon = 0, oxygens = 0, total formal charge = 0)
Even though all three structures gave us a total charge of zero, the final structure is the superior one because there are no charges in the molecule at all.
The following is equivalent:
Draw a circle around the atom for which the formal charge is requested (as with carbon dioxide, below)
Count up the number of electrons in the atom's "circle." Since the circle cuts the covalent bond "in half," each covalent bond counts as one electron instead of two.
Official source
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