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What is the formal charge on the central atom (in brackets) in SO3²⁻? Calculate the formal charge on sulfur (S) and explain whether the molecule is overall neutral or has a charge.

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To calculate the formal charge on the central atom  sulfur  in SO3, we will use the formula:Formal charge =  Valence electrons of the atom  -  Non-bonding electrons  -  1/2  Bonding electrons Sulfur  S  has 6 valence electrons being in group 16 of the periodic table. In the SO3 ion, sulfur is double bonded to three oxygen atoms. Each double bond consists of 2 bonding electrons, so there are a total of 6 bonding electrons around sulfur. Sulfur has no non-bonding electrons in this case.Now, let's plug the values into the formula:Formal charge on S =  6  -  0  -  1/2  6 Formal charge on S = 6 - 3 = +3So, the formal charge on the central sulfur atom is +3.Now, let's determine the overall charge of the SO3 ion. Each oxygen atom has a formal charge of -1 due to the double bond with sulfur. Since there are three oxygen atoms, the total charge from the oxygen atoms is -3. Adding the formal charge of sulfur  +3  to the total charge of the oxygen atoms  -3 , we get:Overall charge =  +3  +  -3  = 0However, the ion is SO3, which means it has an overall charge of -2. This discrepancy arises because the Lewis structure of SO3 is a resonance hybrid, and the formal charges calculated are for a single resonance structure. The actual ion has a delocalized charge, and the overall charge is -2, as indicated by the superscript in SO3.
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