In the Lewis structure of ClF,the formal charge on Cl is ________,and the formal charge on F is ________.
A)-1, -1
B)0, 0
C)0, -1
D)+1, -1
E)-1, +1

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In the Lewis structure of ClF, chlorine (Cl) and fluorine (F) form a single bond. Chlorine has 7 valence electrons and fluorine has 7 valence electrons. When they form a single bond, each contributes one electron to the bond, leaving chlorine and fluorine with 6 and 6 non-bonding electrons, respectively. The formal charge is calculated as the number of valence electrons in the free atom minus the number of non-bonding electrons minus half the number of bonding electrons. For both Cl and F, this calculation results in a formal charge of 0, indicating that both atoms have no formal charge in the ClF molecule.

In the Lewis Structure of ClF,the Formal Charge on Cl