To calculate the formal charge on each atom in the sulfate ion SO4 2- , we will follow these steps:1. Determine the number of valence electrons for each atom.2. Calculate the number of electrons assigned to each atom in the molecule.3. Subtract the assigned electrons from the valence electrons to find the formal charge.Step 1: Determine the number of valence electrons for each atom.- Sulfur S is in group 16, so it has 6 valence electrons.- Oxygen O is also in group 16, so it also has 6 valence electrons.Step 2: Calculate the number of electrons assigned to each atom in the molecule.- In the sulfate ion, sulfur is bonded to four oxygen atoms through two single bonds and two double bonds. In a single bond, sulfur contributes 1 electron, and in a double bond, it contributes 2 electrons. So, sulfur has 4 assigned electrons 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 .- Each oxygen atom in a single bond has 6 assigned electrons 2 from the single bond and 4 non-bonding electrons .- Each oxygen atom in a double bond has 5 assigned electrons 4 from the double bond and 1 non-bonding electron pair .Step 3: Subtract the assigned electrons from the valence electrons to find the formal charge.- Formal charge of Sulfur S = Valence electrons - Assigned electrons = 6 - 4 = +2- Formal charge of Oxygen in a single bond O_single = Valence electrons - Assigned electrons = 6 - 6 = 0- Formal charge of Oxygen in a double bond O_double = Valence electrons - Assigned electrons = 6 - 5 = +1Now, we need to consider the overall charge of the sulfate ion SO4 2- . Since there are two oxygen atoms with a single bond and two with a double bond, the total formal charge of the ion is:Total formal charge = Formal charge of S + 2 * Formal charge of O_single + 2 * Formal charge of O_double = +2 + 2 * 0 + 2 * +1 = +4However, the sulfate ion has a 2- charge, so we need to distribute this charge among the oxygen atoms. We can do this by assigning one extra electron to each of the two oxygen atoms with a single bond:- Formal charge of Oxygen in a single bond O_single = Valence electrons - Assigned electrons + Extra electron = 6 - 6 + 1 = -1So, the formal charges for each atom in the sulfate ion SO4 2- are:- Sulfur S : +2- Oxygen in a single bond O_single : -1 two of these - Oxygen in a double bond O_double : +1 two of these