Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: darkling235 on April 07, 2009, 09:31:46 AM
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Can anyone explain to me how SO2 is stable? I keep trying to draw its lewis chart and balance its octet but I can't seem to get it right.
Oxygen wants 2 and Sulfur wants 2.
O=S=O seems wrong because Sulfur wants 2 and actually gets 4 which would be bad.
So I wound up trying to draw a circle where oxygen binds to oxygen and the sulfur binds to them both but somehow that doesn't seem right. Can anyone explain this?
Thanks
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For the very common, simple molecules you're working with, you should check out the relevant wikipedia page, they talk quite a bit about structure, and you'll pick up the basics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide
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Though you may want to look up the EXCEPTIONS to the octet rule, typically those w.r.t. elements in period 3 onwards.
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Sulfur is actually capable of forming six bonds. It is one of those dirty little tricks the molecular world pulls on us.