Draw the Lewis structure for the sulfur dioxide (SO2) molecule. Be sure to include all resonance structures that satisfy the octet rule. C :0 C 11 5 5
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
To draw the Lewis structure for sulfur dioxide (SO₂), we need to follow a few key steps:
Step-by-Step Process:
- Determine the total number of valence electrons:
- Sulfur (S) is in group 16 of the periodic table, so it has 6 valence electrons.
- Oxygen (O) is also in group 16, and each oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons.
- SO₂ has 1 sulfur atom and 2 oxygen atoms, so the total number of valence electrons is:
[
6 (\text{from S}) + 2 \times 6 (\text{from O}) = 18 \text{ valence electrons}.
]
- Determine the skeletal structure:
- Sulfur (S) will be the central atom, as it is less electronegative than oxygen.
- The two oxygen atoms will each bond to the sulfur atom.
- Draw single bonds between sulfur and oxygen:
- Each S–O bond will count as 2 electrons. So, the 2 bonds will use up 4 electrons, leaving 14 electrons to be placed as lone pairs.
- Complete the octets:
- Oxygen atoms will need 6 more electrons to complete their octets. This will be done by placing 3 lone pairs on each oxygen atom, consuming 12 electrons.
- This leaves 2 electrons to be placed as a lone pair on sulfur.
- Check for resonance:
- To ensure that the structure follows the octet rule and that the formal charges are minimized, we can have resonance structures where one of the oxygen atoms forms a double bond with sulfur while the other has a single bond.
Resonance Structures:
- In one resonance form, both oxygen atoms are single-bonded to sulfur, and each oxygen has lone pairs.
- In the other resonance form, one oxygen forms a double bond with sulfur, and the other oxygen maintains a single bond with sulfur.
The molecule exhibits resonance because the bonding can shift between the oxygen atoms to create equivalent structures that maintain the octet rule for all atoms.
Lewis Structure of SO₂:
- There are two main resonance structures for SO₂. The sulfur atom has 2 bonds with oxygen atoms, with one of the bonds being a double bond in each resonance form.
Now, let me generate the image for you!
Here is the Lewis structure for sulfur dioxide (SO₂), including the resonance structures. The sulfur atom (S) is at the center, bonded to two oxygen atoms (O). One of the oxygen atoms forms a double bond with sulfur in one resonance form, and in the other, it has a single bond. Each oxygen atom has lone pairs to satisfy the octet rule, and sulfur has one lone pair.
Let me know if you need any further details!
