[antimatter101]

I looked at google images and saw the formula for sluphuric acid.
         O
        //
O-H-S-O-H
     //
    O
And got confused. THe sulfur atom shares two double bonds and two single bonds, which is a total of 6 electrons shared. But sulfur already has 6 valence electrons in its outer shell (1S2-2S2-2P6-3S2-3P4) and only needs two more valence electrons to have the stable octet of a noble gas, but why does it take six electrons?

Oxygen has (nearly) the same electronic configuration as sulfur (with 6 valence electrons). Yet sulfur takes 6 electrons while oxygen only takes two! Can someone help me please? Extra mole snack!

[Dan]

Read these and see what you think:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfate#Structure_and_bonding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervalence

[antimatter101]

Thanks. You have already received your mole snack.

What about gratitude?