Question

As the title reads, I'm confused as to why it's okay for the central carbon in acetone to have a +1 formal charge when we push the electrons from one of the bonds with oxygen to form a lone pair and give the oxygen a -1 formal charge.

Answer 1

In the Lewis structure of acetone, the central carbon can have a +1 formal charge while one of the oxygen atoms has a -1 formal charge. This charge distribution allows the molecule to maintain stability.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the Lewis structure of molecules, formal charges can be assigned to individual atoms to determine their charge distribution. In the case of acetone, the central carbon atom is surrounded by three oxygen atoms, each with lone pairs of electrons.

When we push the electrons from one of the bonds with oxygen to form a lone pair and give the oxygen a -1 formal charge, the carbon atom can have a +1 formal charge and still maintain stability.