Question

Draw the correct structural formula for OF2. Then, use it to answer the following question: How many lone pairs are there in the molecule? (Make sure that you count all of the lone pairs!)

a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3

Answer 1

The structural formula of OF2 has oxygen in the center with single bonds to two fluorine atoms, with oxygen having 2 lone pairs and each fluorine having 3 lone pairs, totaling 8 lone pairs in the molecule.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct structural formula for OF2 would be represented as oxygen (O) in the center with two fluorine (F) atoms bonded to it, one on each side. Each bond would be a single bond, indicating a pair of electrons being shared between the oxygen and each fluorine. The oxygen atom would have four electrons, or two pairs, that are not involved in bonding—these are lone pairs. Since fluorine is in group 17 (or VIIA) of the periodic table, it has seven valence electrons. In a stable molecule, fluorine forms one bond and has three lone pairs of electrons. Therefore, in the molecule OF2, there would be a total of 2 (on oxygen) + 3 (on each fluorine) × 2 (for two fluorines) = 8 lone pairs.

Answering the question, OF2 has 8 lone pairs in total, which corresponds to option c) 2 on the oxygen atom and 6 on the fluorine atoms.