Draw a lewis structure for so2 in which all atoms have a formal charge of zero. explicitly showing the zero charges is optional. do not consider ringed structures.

(The structure is attached)

Explanation:

Lewis structure is a simple form of molecule representation by showing single lines as bond while the lone pairs are shown as dots. Sulfur is the central atom in SO₂. Each atom in this molecule has 6 valence electrons so the total number of electrons is 18.

Formal charges on atoms can be removed if each oxygen has a double bond with the sulfur atom. This will leave two lone pairs remaining on the oxygen atom and will also satisfy the octet rule. For sulfur, the total number of bonds will be four (two bonds with each oxygen) and lone pair will only be one (it should be noted here that sulfur can deviate from the octet rule, as it can have more than eight valence electrons). The distribution of electrons in the molecule can be mathematically represented as,

The formal charge (FC) on oxygen atoms (O):

FC on O = no. of valence electrons - no of bonds - (2 x no. of lone pairs)

FC on O = 6 - 2 - (2 x 2)

FC on O = 0

The formal charge (FC) on the sulfur atom (S):

FC on S = no. of valence electrons - no of bonds - (2 x no. of lone pairs)

FC on S = 6 - 4 - (2 x 1)

FC on S = 0