

Read More: Difference Between An Atom And Molecule An atom will be a nucleophile or a source of electrons in a reaction if it is a negative formal charge whereas an atom will be electrophile or is more like to take electrons if it has a positive formal charge. Reactivity: the behaviour of a molecule during a process is determined by the formal charge of a molecule.If the arrangements of bonds are different in the molecules but they have similar atom arrangements, then the resonance structure can be helpful.

Resonance: When similar various molecular structures exist, it becomes difficult for the formal charge to indicate a molecule's preferred structure.Molecular structure: a molecule in order to have the most stable state because of the lowest energy, should have a formal charge of zero.Read More: Class 11 Chemistry Chapter 4 Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure The structure with minimum energy consists of the least formal charge and the one where the total charge is mostly distributed.The information about the minimum energy structure helps anticipate the important product of a reaction as well as elaborates a lot about the process.Calculating the formal charges is important as it plays a crucial role in determining the minimum energy configuration among various possible Lewis structures in a molecule.The formal charge doesn’t give any specific information about the real charge separation in the molecules as it is a theoretical concept.Formal charge = (number of valence electrons in neutral atom) – (non-bonded electrons + number of bonds)į.C = – į.C = – – ½
