Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: MightyMan on September 28, 2008, 12:22:04 PM
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I had a quick question about how SO2 bonds...
How does one know that one of the oxygen's donates two electrons and forms a coordinate covalent bond?
My first instinct after drawing a skeletal structure was to take the 2 electrons which i had on S and form two double bonds with each of the two Os.
And then making them into triple bonds makes the formal charge even lower,... but thats wrong anywho.
Is it because the 6 electrons in O are paired, looking at the p subshell (same with the 2 electrons in S)?
So its harder to share one from each than O giving 2 to the bond?
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When oxygen is bonded to only one other atom, it can only accept or donate two electrons at a time, or else it ends up with an unpaired electron.
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Ah...
Thanks for the clarification.