0 votes
19 views
ago in Inorganic Chemistry by (470 points)
Determine the formal charge of the central atom in SF6. Show all your work and explain how you arrived at your answer.

1 Answer

0 votes
ago by (610 points)
To determine the formal charge of the central atom  Sulfur  in SF6, we will follow these steps:1. Determine the number of valence electrons for the central atom  Sulfur .2. Calculate the number of electrons assigned to the central atom in the Lewis structure.3. Subtract the number of assigned electrons from the number of valence electrons to find the formal charge.Step 1: Determine the number of valence electrons for Sulfur  S .Sulfur is in Group 16  also known as Group 6A  of the periodic table, so it has 6 valence electrons.Step 2: Calculate the number of electrons assigned to the central atom in the Lewis structure.In SF6, Sulfur is bonded to six Fluorine atoms. Each bond consists of 2 electrons, but since Sulfur is only contributing one electron to each bond, we will count only one electron per bond for Sulfur. So, there are 6 electrons assigned to Sulfur in the Lewis structure.Step 3: Subtract the number of assigned electrons from the number of valence electrons to find the formal charge.Formal charge =  Valence electrons  -  Assigned electrons Formal charge = 6 - 6Formal charge = 0Therefore, the formal charge of the central atom  Sulfur  in SF6 is 0.
Welcome to Sarvan Science Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
...