Formal charge and lewis structures

[Rucha Kulkarni 2A]

When drawing Lewis structures, do we need to find all the possible structures and draw the one which is most stable, or will the basic, most obvious Lewis structure suffice?
(for example, the SO2 structure)

[sandros]

I feel like it depends on the question that is asked. If the question lacks precision, I'd go with the most obvious one for sure.

[Dayanara Ruiz]

I also agree it depends on the question being asked. I personally would study, and be comfortable drawing out the simplest structure but also know the differences of the other structures.

[snehabhargava]

I do not think you have to draw all of the possible ones. If the first one you draw has a formal charge of 0 then you don't have to draw anymore.

[Diego Zavala 2I]

If you are asked to draw the most stable Lewis structure then, I believe, you can only draw one Lewis structure if the one you drew is the most stable. However, if you have difficult drawing the most stable Lewis structure I would suggest drawing multiple structures to then reason your way into drawing the most stable Lewis structure

[Veronica Rasmusen 2B]

It depends on what the question is asking, if the questions wants the most stable structure or the one with the least formal charge then yes you will have to calculate the formal charges on each atom and find the most correct structure. For more basic molecules this will often by the first one you draw, but it's always a good idea to check formal charges.