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NEETChemistryChemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

What do formal charges primarily assist in selecting when considering multiple Lewis structures for a species?

Options

  1. AThe structure with the most electronegative atoms.
  2. BThe structure with the largest formal charges.
  3. CThe lowest energy structure.
  4. DThe structure with the most lone pairs.

Correct answer

C. The lowest energy structure.

Step-by-step solution

The formal charges help in the selection of the lowest energy structure from a number of possible Lewis structures for a given species.

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