Lewis Structures
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Lewis Structures
For molecules with only 2 atoms and a single charge, how do you determine which atom gets the charge and which atom has a formal charge of zero?
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Re: Lewis Structures
The more electronegative atom should have a negative charge if the other atom’s charge is 0, but it should have a 0 charge if the other atom’s charge is positive.
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Re: Lewis Structures
Electrons are shifted toward the more electronegative atom, so the more electronegative atom is the one with the negative charge.
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Re: Lewis Structures
You would have to find out the formal charge of both atoms. I usually do this by comparing the number of electrons that are surrounding an atom with the number of electrons the neutral atom normally has. However, the atom with greater electronegativity usually has a negative charge or at least that is how you should draw your lewis structure according to my TA.
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