0 votes
27 views
in Chemical bonding by (138k points)
What is the formal charge of the nitrogen atom in the molecule HNO<sub>3</sub>?

1 Answer

0 votes
by (138k points)
To calculate the formal charge of the nitrogen atom in HNO, we need to follow these steps:1. Determine the number of valence electrons for nitrogen. Nitrogen is in group 15, so it has 5 valence electrons.2. Calculate the number of bonding electrons. In HNO, nitrogen forms two single bonds  one with hydrogen and one with oxygen  and one double bond  with another oxygen . Each single bond has 2 electrons, and the double bond has 4 electrons. So, there are 2 + 2 + 4 = 8 bonding electrons.3. Calculate the number of non-bonding electrons. Nitrogen has no lone pairs in HNO, so there are 0 non-bonding electrons.4. Calculate the formal charge using the formula: Formal charge = Valence electrons -  Bonding electrons/2  - Non-bonding electronsFormal charge of nitrogen = 5 -  8/2  - 0 = 5 - 4 = +1So, the formal charge of the nitrogen atom in HNO is +1.
Welcome to Sarvan Science Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
...