Minimize formal charge of whole molecule?

[PriscillaLi_3G]

When drawing lewis structures, is the goal to have the formal charges of each atom add up as closely as possible to zero? Or for the formal charge of each individual atom to be as close to zero as possible?

[Elizabeth Harty 1A]

You want to overall formal charge to equal zero when you take into consideration all formal charges of atoms in species

[Michelle Shin 4B]

Having the formal charge for each individual atom equal zero is usually best as well as minimizing the total formal charge.

[Aarja Pavade 1H]

Keep in mind that if the molecule has a specific charge you would want to keep that charge, not make it 0. For instance, in the sulfate ion (SO4 2-), two oxygens will have to have a -1 charge so that the total charge remains -2. We assign the negative charge to oxygen instead of sulfur, though, because it has a higher electron affinity and is thus better at holding electrons.

[Osvaldo SanchezF -1H]

Adding on to what the people have said, make sure the the element/atom with the highest electronegativity has a formal charge of (-) or the greatest negative charge because its the element that wants to attract electrons the most. ( this applies to a structure that had to have a (-) charge.

[Yailin Romo 4G]

The goal is to get the atoms in their most stable state, thus the goal is to get the formal charges of the atoms as close to 0 as possible.

[KaitlynBali_4B]

The reason why you want the formal charges of each atom to be close to zero as possible is because it indicates very little rearrangement of electrons around the atoms in the molecule when compared to the arrangement of the electrons in the atoms in their free state. This is an indication of stability.

[Veronica Lu 2H]

ideally, the atoms want to be in their complete octet state where they are the most stable, thus each formal charge should be as close to zero as possible.