Enter the total number of valence electrons, lone pairs of electrons, and total number of bound electrons to calculate the formal charge.
Formal Charge Formula
The following equation is used to calculate the formal charge of an atom.
FC = V – ( LP +.5 * BE)
- Where FC is the formal charge
- V is the number of valence electrons
- LP is the number of lone pair electrons
- BE is the number of bound electrons
Formal Charge Definition
A formal charge is defined as the electrical charge of an individual atom.
Formal Charge Example
How to calculate a formal charge?
- First, determine the valence electrons.
Calculate the total number of valence electrons.
- Next, determine the number if lone pair electrons.
Calculate how many electrons are lone pairs.
- Next, determine the number of bound electrons.
Calculate the total number electrons that are bound.
- Finally, calculate the formal charge.
Using the equation above, calculate the formal charge.
FAQ
The formal charge is the electrical charge of an individual atom that is contained within a larger molecule.
Formal charge is calculated using the valence, lone pair, and bound electrons of the atom to it’s surrounding molecule.
