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Qube
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Homework Statement
Are the following statements true?
1) All contributing resonance structures must have the same net formal charge.
2) All atoms in contributing resonance structures must have complete octets.
The Attempt at a Solution
The first one strikes me as true. Net formal charge is just the overall charge on the molecule. It would not make sense if a resonance structure for a molecule differed in formal charge. Plus resonance structures are made by pushing electrons around, not by taking electrons away.
The second one does not strike me as true; there are many violations of the octet rule as we skip past period 2 on the periodic table. Take sulfuric acid as an example; it forms four bonds, giving the central atom a formal charge of +2. That is a violation of the octet rule; sulfur is in the same column as oxygen and only needs to form two bonds to complete its octet. however it forms four.
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