How it is determined which atoms have double bonds?
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How it is determined which atoms have double bonds?
Question: How it is determined which atoms have double bonds? Are those that are higher in ionization energy (such as Flourine) less likely to have a double bond as opposed to oxygen in the compound XeOF2? Is it solely by determining the formal charges?
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Re: How it is determined which atoms have double bonds?
Answer: There are a few things to keep in mind when determining what gets double bonds. First think of the valence electrons of that atom. Halogens have 7 valence electrons so they typically only form one bond (save for octet rule breaking exceptions of rows 3 and beyond). Oxygen has 6 valence electrons so it needs 2 bonds to fill its octet. As a result, you'll see many structure have oxygens having 2 bonds (either from a double bond or two separate single bonds). Also consider formal charges; if adding a double bond lowers to formal charges then it's likely a double bond is indeed there. Just make sure to use the proper number of electrons and that only elements in row 3 or beyond are extending octets.
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