Formal Charges
Formal charges have an important role in organic chemistry since this concept helps us to know whether an atom in a molecule is neutral/bears a positive or negative charge. Even if some molecules are neutral, the atoms within that molecule need not be neutral atoms.
Polarity Of Water
In simple chemical terms, polarity refers to the separation of charges in a chemical species leading into formation of two polar ends which are positively charged end and negatively charged end. Polarity in any molecule occurs due to the differences in the electronegativities of the bonded atoms. Water, as we all know has two hydrogen atoms bonded to an oxygen atom. As oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen thus, there exists polarity in the bonds which is why water is known as a polar solvent.
Valence Bond Theory Vbt
Valence bond theory (VBT) in simple terms explains how individual atomic orbitals with an unpaired electron each, come close to each other and overlap to form a molecular orbital giving a covalent bond. It gives a quantum mechanical approach to the formation of covalent bonds with the help of wavefunctions using attractive and repulsive energies when two atoms are brought from infinity to their internuclear distance.
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What is the formal charge of oxygen in the following lewis structure?
![The image depicts the Lewis structure of the cyanate ion, represented as \([ \text{O} \equiv \text{C} \equiv \text{N} ]^-\).
### Description:
- **Atoms and Bonds:**
- The structure consists of three atoms: Oxygen (O), Carbon (C), and Nitrogen (N).
- Oxygen is single-bonded to Carbon.
- Carbon is triple-bonded to Nitrogen.
- **Lone Pairs:**
- The Oxygen atom has six valence electrons, represented by three lone pairs (depicted as pairs of dots around the O).
- The Nitrogen atom has two lone pairs, each represented by two dots.
- **Charge:**
- The entire structure is enclosed in square brackets with a negative charge (\(^-\)), indicating that the cyanate ion carries an overall negative charge.
### Explanation:
The cyanate ion is an anion with the formula \(\text{OCN}^-\). The structure indicates resonance and the formal charges are typically distributed over the atoms, although the structure shown presents a commonly used representation.
This diagram is often used to teach concepts of resonance, formal charge, and the representation of ions in chemistry.](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2Fc787f9dc-cb6a-4c77-832f-72607395d462%2F5d855962-b6f4-4e42-b320-12e0a043f4d5%2F62z2hp_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
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