Why can h20 only donate 1 lone pair?
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Why can h20 only donate 1 lone pair?
If the oxygen on H2O has 2 lone pairs, why can it only donate one? Similarly, why is it that the oxygens in C2O2 can only donate 1 lone pair? Why can the oxygen with the double bond in C2O2 not donate any at all?
Re: Why can h20 only donate 1 lone pair?
I think that would lead to the oxygen having a 2+ formal charge
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Re: Why can h20 only donate 1 lone pair?
In my understanding with coordinate covalent bonding the element can only donate one pair to another element, no matter how many lone pairs it may have.
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Re: Why can h20 only donate 1 lone pair?
I think the shape of the molecule also plays a role since the way the electron pairs are positioned doesn’t really allow it to form 2 bonds.
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Re: Why can h20 only donate 1 lone pair?
Both answers are correct; water typically donates only 1 lone pair because donating both would give it a very positive formal charge which is highly unfavorable for such an electronegative atom, and because the positioning of the lone pairs prevents both from donating to the same molecule at the same time.
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Re: Why can h20 only donate 1 lone pair?
D-nice1D wrote:I think that would lead to the oxygen having a 2+ formal charge
Adding on, Oxygen has a high electronegativity so having a formal charge of 2+ is not ideal.
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