3.59a

[Emily 1E]

The question asks to draw the Lewis structure of ClO, which is a radical. How to you know whether the single lone electron goes on the Cl molecule or the O molecule?

[Anna De Schutter - 1A]

I had the same question, because when I calculated the formal charges of chlorine and oxygen in the solution's manual configuration I got:
Cl: 7valence electrons - 5 lone pair electrons - 0.5*2 bonding electrons = +1
O: 6valence electrons -6 lone pair electrons - 0.5*2bonding electrons = -0.5

Whereas if I put the radical on oxygen and give chlorine a full octet (with just a single bond between Cl and O), I got:
Cl: 7-6-0.5*2=0
O: 6-5-0.5*2=0

Am I calculating the formal charges the wrong way? Or missing something? Why don't we choose the molecule where the formal charge of each element equals 0?

Thank you!
Anna De Schutter - section 1A

[Chem_Mod]

Please see comment here.
https://lavelle.chem.ucla.edu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=31699&p=100750