Sapling Question #3

[Nina Fukui 2J]

Hi everyone
How do I find the lewis structure for the phosphate ion?

[Simrah_Ahmed1J]

Well the trick is that phosporus is a bonding exception and it can form 5 bonds rather than just 4.

[Nina Fukui 2J]

Also, what exactly does it mean when it says "Phosphorus is able to access 3d orbitals for bonding and, therefore, is not constrained by the octet rule."??

[Simrah_Ahmed1J]

basically the same thing, thats just their way of telling you that phosphorus is an exception to the octet rule and can take on more than 8 valence electrons, and because it can take on more than 8 valence electrons, it can take on more than 4 bonds.

[AlbertGu_2C]

Any element past period 3 of the periodic table can form more bonds than accounted for by the octet rule as dictated by its d orbital having the capacity to take in more electrons

[Kaylee Messick 3J]

In one of the Workshops, they said that P, S, and Cl atoms often are exceptions to the octet rule, which helps when trying to draw Lewis structures and calculate formal charge.

[rhettfarmer-3H]

For a phosphate ion, the most important thing to remember is it breaks the common rules of the octate its has more than 8 electrons and can enter electrons into the d block for the sake of stability Therefore, it can break standard rules. Therefore, use that, Also other elements that due this are P Cl and S