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Formal Charge of 0

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:16 pm
by Daniel_Callos_4I
Why is it favorable to have a formal charge of 0, and why do compounds with a lower overall formal charge contribute more to the resonance of a molecule?

Re: Formal Charge of 0  [ENDORSED]

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 8:44 pm
by Kathrin Magdalani 3J
A formal charge of zero means the atom has the best balance of bonds to lone pairs according to its valence (meaning it's stable).

Re: Formal Charge of 0

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:20 pm
by Christian Hardoy 3F
The formula for formal charge is FC = # of valence electrons in free atom - (# of lone pair electrons + (bonding electrons/2)), or FC = V - (L + S/2) with variables. So if the formal charge is zero, it means that the number of lone pair electrons plus the number of bonding electrons divided by to (or simply the number of bonds) is equal to the number of valence electrons in the free atom.

Re: Formal Charge of 0

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 4:28 pm
by Shreya Ramineni 2L
A formal charge of 0 is the most favorable because it is the most stable.