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    Home » Formal Charge Uses, Formula, and Examples

    Formal Charge Uses, Formula, and Examples

    Dr. Vikas JasrotiaBy Dr. Vikas JasrotiaNovember 19, 2021No Comments
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    Formal Charge Uses, Formula, and Examples

    Formal Charge Uses, Formula, and Examples

    Formal Charge: A formal charge (FC) is the charge assigned to an atom in a molecule.  The formal charge (F.C.) is the charge assigned to an atom in a molecule, assuming that the electrons in all chemical bonds are shared equally between atoms.
    When determining the best Lewis Structure (or predominant resonance) for a molecule, the structure is chosen such that the formal charge on each of the atoms is as close to zero as possible.
    In order to calculate a formal charge, electrons are assigned to individual atoms within the molecule based on two different rules: bonding electrons must be divided equally across the different bonded atoms, and non-bonding electrons are considered part of the atom they are located.
    Formula to calculate Formal Charge:

    FC = VE – NE – ½ BE

    VE → Valence Electrons

    NE → Non-Bonding Electrons

    BE → Bonding Electrons

    Uses of Formal Charge:
    1. The formal charge being a theoretical charge doesn’t indicate any real charge separation in the molecule.
    2. Formal charges help in the selection of the lowest energy structure from a number of possible Lewis structures for a given species.
    3. Knowledge of the lowest energy structure helps in predicting the major product of a reaction and also describes a lot of phenomena.
    4. Generally, the lowest energy structure is the one with the smallest formal charges on the atoms and the most distributed charge.

    Examples to Calculate Formal charge:

    1. Formal Charge on N in NO3– :

    Valence Electrons of N = 5,               Non-Bonding Electrons of N = 0

    Bonding Electrons of N = 10

    According to formula FC on N = 5 – 0 – ½ × 10 = 0

    2. Formal charge on each oxygen in O3 Molecule:

    3. Formal charge on Cl atom of HClO4:

    FC = 7 – 0 – ½ × 14 = 0

    4. The formal charge on Carbon and oxygen of HCHO:

    FC = VE – NE – 1/2 BE

    Formal Charge Uses, Formula, and Examples

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