Reducing Formal Charge

[EliahBaez2I]

Hi, I understand how to calculate formal charges but am confused on the methods you can use to reduce them? Also should I be checking formal charges on every problem that I do?

[Gwendolyn Muff 1G]

To reduce the formal charge of a molecule, you'll want to consider alternate structures that molecule could take. The best structure is going to have minimal charges on each atom, and where the overall is close to 0. For example, if you have two X atoms and one Y atom, the structure where one X has FC=1, the other X has FC=0, and Y has FC=-1 would be favorable in comparison to both X atoms having FC=1 and Y having FC=-2. Hope this helps!
I think it is helpful to check for formal charges on all Lewis structures because it helps to make sure you have the right amount of electrons for the charge given, but I don't think it will be necessary for every problem if it's not asking you about charges or the best structure.