Question

Due to the small and highly electronegative nature of fluorine, the oxyacids of the this element are much less common and less stable than those of the other halogens. Bonding theory, however, does allow one to propose structures for these acids and use formal charges for the evaluation of these structures. For a molecule of fluorous acid, the atoms are arranged as HOFO. (Note: In this oxyacid, the placement of fluorine is an exception to the rule of putting the more electronegative atom in a terminal position.) What is the formal charge on each of the atoms? Enter the formal charges in the same order as the atoms are listed. Express your answers as charges separated by comma. For example, a positive one charge would be written as +1.

Answer 1

In the molecule of fluorous acid (HOFO), the formal charges on each atom are: oxygen (-1), oxygen (-1), fluorine (+1), and hydrogen (0).

Step-by-step explanation:

In the molecule of fluorous acid (HOFO), the formal charges on each atom can be calculated using the Lewis structure and the rules for assigning formal charges. Oxygen typically has 6 valence electrons, and in this structure, both oxygen atoms have 7 electrons. Therefore, each oxygen atom in fluorous acid has a formal charge of -1. The fluorine atom, being more electronegative than oxygen, attracts electrons more strongly and has a formal charge of +1. So, the formal charges on each of the atoms in fluorous acid are: oxygen (-1), oxygen (-1), fluorine (+1), and hydrogen (0).

Answer 2

Formal Charge for H, O, F, O = 0,0,1,-1

While an octet of electrons is attained by the oxygen and fluorine atoms in this structure and the formal charges add to zero, having to assign a formal charge of +1 to such an electronegative atom as fluorine may indicate that such a structure is not likely to occur. In fact, fluorine commonly only forms one oxyacid, HOF.

Step-by-step explanation: