Which of the following is true of a formal charge?
A) It represents a true charge on an atom in a covalent bond.
B) If an atom has the number of bonds typical for that atom, its formal charge is greater than one.
C) The sum of the formal charges on the atoms within a molecule or an ion must be less than the overall charge on the molecule or ion.
D) The Lewis structure with the set of formal charges closest to zero is usually the most unstable.
E) It predicts the most likely structure when a compound has more than one valid Lewis structure.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Formal charge is a bookkeeping tool used in chemistry to help predict the most likely structure among several valid Lewis structures by assigning charges to atoms within a molecule based on the electrons assigned to each atom. It does not represent a true charge (A is incorrect), nor does it imply that an atom's formal charge is greater than one if it has its typical number of bonds (B is incorrect). The sum of the formal charges within a molecule or ion must equal the overall charge of the molecule or ion, not less than it (C is incorrect). The Lewis structure with formal charges closest to zero is usually the most stable, not the most unstable (D is incorrect).

Which of the Following Is True of a Formal Charge