Formal Charge

Definition

The formal charge is the charge assigned to an atom in a molecule, assuming that electrons in all chemical bonds are shared equally between atoms, regardless of relative electronegativity.

Related terms

Valence Electrons:

These are the outermost electrons in an atom which participate in bonding. They play into calculating formal charge.

Covalent Bonds:

These are bonds formed by sharing electron pairs between atoms. The concept relates to how we calculate formal charge as we assume these shared electrons are evenly distributed for this calculation.

Lewis Structures:

These diagrams represent molecules showing all valence electrons which help us visualize and calculate formal charges.