Resonance and Formal Charge

AP Chemistry· difficulty 3/5

A Lewis structure of formate (HCO2-) places a double bond on one O and a single bond plus three lone pairs on the other O.

O C O [ -1 ] [ 0 ] [ 0 ]

The formal charge on the singly-bonded oxygen is:

  • A

    -1

    check_circle
  • B

    -2

  • C

    0

  • D

    +1

Explanation

FC = 6 - 6 (lone pair e-) - 1 (half of bonding e-) = -1.

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