CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

Why is that Oxygen can only have double bonds but in the textbook it can have triple bonds?

Can you give an example? It depends on the formal charge/molecule.

where did you learn that oxygen can only have double bonds

Oxygen can form double, single, or triple bonds depending on the atom it is bonding with. Oxygen can form a triple bond with Carbon since the total number of valence electrons is 10 which means that there are 5 pairs of electrons. The only way that you can form five pairs of electrons for a CO Lewis Structure is by having Oxygen and Carbon share three pairs with one lone pair on each atom.

Oxygen can have single, double, or triple bonds depending on the molecule and corresponding Lewis structure.

Oxygen can have triple bonds, but it is usually most stable with two.

Oxygen most commonly forms a double bond within a molecule because it results in a formal charge of zero. But, it can also form single or triple bonds.

Oxygen can have either double or triple bonds depending on the molecule.

Oxygen can have all types of bonds, but it usually does not have triple bonds because the formal charge of oxygen would be more likely to have a nonzero value. This is because oxygen has 6 valence electrons and a triple bond would cause the formal charge to usually be 1.

Oxygen is able to form single, double, or triple bonds depending on the formal charges of an overall structure or the number of electrons needed. Oxygen typically forms double bonds because it allows for a formal charge of 6 with 4 valence electrons.