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Determine the formal charge on the sulfur atom in sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)?

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To determine the formal charge on the sulfur atom in sulfur hexafluoride  SF6 , we need to follow these steps:1. Determine the number of valence electrons for sulfur  S  and fluorine  F .2. Calculate the total number of valence electrons in the molecule.3. Determine the number of electrons assigned to the sulfur atom in the Lewis structure.4. Calculate the formal charge on the sulfur atom.Step 1: Valence electrons- Sulfur  S  is in group 16, so it has 6 valence electrons.- Fluorine  F  is in group 17, so it has 7 valence electrons.Step 2: Total valence electrons in the molecule- There are 6 fluorine atoms, each with 7 valence electrons, so 6 x 7 = 42 valence electrons from fluorine.- There is 1 sulfur atom with 6 valence electrons.- The total number of valence electrons in the molecule is 42 + 6 = 48.Step 3: Electrons assigned to the sulfur atom in the Lewis structure- In SF6, sulfur forms 6 single bonds with each of the fluorine atoms.- Each single bond consists of 2 electrons, so 6 single bonds x 2 electrons = 12 electrons.- Half of these electrons  6 electrons  are assigned to the sulfur atom.Step 4: Calculate the formal charge on the sulfur atom- Formal charge =  valence electrons of S  -  assigned electrons in the Lewis structure - Formal charge = 6 - 6 = 0The formal charge on the sulfur atom in sulfur hexafluoride  SF6  is 0.
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