Formal Charges and Double Bonds

[Chaleah Duran]

DO double bonds count as 1 or 2 when calculating formal charge?

[Marleena]

You are counting the number of shared electrons. Therefore, when calculating formal charge for a double bond should be 4. (don't forget that the equation for formal charge divides the shared electrons by two as well. So if there is one double bond, it would be 4/2 or 2)

[Celine Khuu 2F]

Each bonding pair of electrons counts as 1 electron when calculating formal charge because the atoms are sharing the electrons. Therefore, when an atom has a double bond with another atom, it would be considered as "owning" 2 electrons.

[Holland Smith 3C]

When calculating formal charge, BOTH the bonded electrons (count 1 per bond line) and the number of lone pair electrons will be added up and then subtracted by the valence electrons of the atom. So to answer your question, yes double bonds will affect the formal charge of the atom, and using the equation will help you better understand/see why.

[Joshua Lance Yumul 1F]

When calculating the formal charge, a double bond would be counted as 2 since we are searching for the number of bonds bonded to a certain element. For example, a random oxygen bonded to another element with a double bond would make the formal charge equation:

6 (valence) - 4 (number of lone electrons) - 2 (number of bonds) = 0

[Elsie_Lin_2K]

Each bond counts as two electrons, so a double bond would mean that there are four electrons. However, when calculating formal charge, you would divide the number of electrons by 2 so you would end up subtracting two from the original number of electrons present in a given atom.

[Chaleah Duran]

I understand, thank you!

[Vashe Sundar 3H]

Double bonds count as 2, but this is because there are 4 shared electrons. Meaning that in the formal charge equation, one double bond would be equal to 4/2 = 2.

[VZX]

Each bond is counted as 1 because electrons are shared. Therefore a double bond is counted as 2

[Sarah Wang 1I]

Double bonds count as 2 bonds. They represent 4 shared electrons, so dividing that by 2 gives you 2 bonds.

[Coraly De Leon]

Hi,
A double bond will be counted as two because each bond is one.

[Chaleah Duran]

Oh ok thank you! Just making sure but for VESPR models they would only count as 1 because its talking about regions?

[Ivy Vo Dis 1C]

The equation to find formal charge is as follows: formal charge = (total number of valence electrons) - (total number of lone electrons) - (total number of bonds). In the case of a double bond, there would be four bonded electrons involved. This means that a double bond should be counted as two separate bonds when calculating formal charge.

[Kayla Ziebell 1H]

In a bond, each atom is putting one electron in, therefore a bond essentially makes up two electrons. Therefore, when trying to find the number of electrons of an atom to find the formal charge, we associate one electron from each bond to that atom being bonded. So if there is a double bond, that atom has two electrons there.

[Xinyue Zou 2K]

Double bonds count as 2 and in the context of the formal charge equation it'll be 4 shared electrons.

[Jocelyn Chin 1K]

Oh ok thank you! Just making sure but for VESPR models they would only count as 1 because its talking about regions?

Yes double bond would count as 1 because VESPR models are based on regions of electron density!

[Minoo Bastani 2J]

In the formal charge equation, you count double bonds as 2 because there are 4 electrons and 4/2= 2 if you are looking at it at counting the number of electrons. However, to answer the question further down the posts, double bonds are counted as 1 in VSEPR theory because it is still just one region of electron density, whether or not it is a single, double, or triple bond.

[Edriana J Altea 2G]

I agree, a double bond with have a value of 2 because of the 4 electrons present