Final answer:
The formal charge of the central N in the molecule -N=N-õ is 2.5 and the sign is positive.
Step-by-step explanation:
The formal charge of an atom in a molecule can be calculated by subtracting the number of valence electrons of the atom in its isolated state from the sum of nonbonding electrons and one-half of the bonding electrons associated with that atom. For the central N in the molecule -N=N-õ, the valence electron of N is 5. Assuming that the bonding electrons are equally shared, the central N is connected to 3 bonding electrons and has 1 nonbonding electron. Therefore, the formal charge of the central N is calculated as follows:
Formal charge = #valence electrons (neutral atom) - #nonbonding electrons - 1/2(#bonding electrons)
Formal charge = 5 - 1 - 1.5 = 2.5
The magnitude of the formal charge is 2.5 and the sign is positive.