Lewis structure of OF2

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The Lewis structure of OF₂ contains two single bonds, with oxygen in the center, and two fluorines on either side. There are three lone pairs on each fluorine atom, and two lone pairs on the oxygen atom.

Steps

By using the following steps, you can easily draw the Lewis structure of OF₂:

#1 Draw skeleton
#2 Show chemical bond
#3 Mark lone pairs
#4 Calculate formal charge and check stability (if octet is already completed on central atom)

Let’s one by one discuss each step in detail.

#1 Draw skeleton

In this step, first calculate the total number of valence electrons. And then, decide the central atom.

• Let’s calculate the total number of valence electrons

We know that… oxygen is a group 16 element and fluorine is a group 17 element. Hence, oxygen has six valence electrons and fluorine has seven valence electrons.

Now OF₂ has one oxygen atom and two fluorine atoms.

So the total number of valence electrons = valence electrons of oxygen atom + (valence electrons of fluorine atom × 2)

Therefore, the total number of valence electrons = 6 + 14 = 20

• Now decide the central atom

The atom with the least electronegative value is placed at the center. By looking at the periodic table, we get the electronegativity values for oxygen and fluorine as follows:

Electronegativity value of oxygen = 3.44
Electronegativity value of fluorine = 3.98

Obviously, oxygen is less electronegative than fluorine. Hence, assume that oxygen is the central atom.

So now, put oxygen in the center and fluorines on either side. And draw the rough skeleton structure for the Lewis structure of OF₂ something like this:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of CS₂ (5 steps)

#2 Show chemical bond

Place two electrons between the atoms to show a chemical bond. Since oxygen is surrounded by two fluorines, use four electrons to show two chemical bonds as follows:

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of NO (5 steps)

#3 Mark lone pairs

As calculated earlier, we have a total of 20 valence electrons. And in the above structure, we have already used four valence electrons. Hence, sixteen valence electrons are remaining.

Two valence electrons represent one lone pair. So sixteen valence electrons = eight lone pairs.

Note that both (oxygen and fluorine) are the period 2 elements, so they can not keep more than 8 electrons in their last shell.

Also, make sure that you start marking these lone pairs on outside atoms first. And then, on the central atom.

The outside atoms are fluorines, so each fluorine will get three lone pairs. And the central atom (oxygen) will get two lone pairs.

So the Lewis structure of OF₂ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the octet is completed on the central atom (oxygen), and also on the outside atoms. Therefore, the octet rule is satisfied.

After completing the octet, one last thing we need to do is, calculate the formal charge and check the stability of the above structure.

Also read: How to draw Lewis structure of NF₃ (4 steps)

#4 Calculate formal charge and check stability

The following formula is used to calculate the formal charges on atoms:

Formal charge = valence electrons – nonbonding electrons – ½ bonding electrons

Collect the data from the above structure and then, write it down below as follows:

• For oxygen atom

Valence electrons = 6
Nonbonding electrons = 4
Bonding electrons = 4

Formal charge = 6 – 4 – ½ (4) = 0

• For each fluorine atom

Valence electrons = 7
Nonbonding electrons = 6
Bonding electrons = 2

Formal charge = 7 – 6 – ½ (2) = 0

Mention the formal charges of atoms on the structure. So the Lewis structure of OF₂ looks something like this:

In the above structure, you can see that the formal charges of both (oxygen and fluorine) are zero. Therefore, this is the stable Lewis structure of OF₂.

And each horizontal line drawn in the above structure represents a pair of bonding valence electrons.

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Related

• Lewis structure of CS₂
• Lewis structure of NO
• Lewis structure of NF₃
• Lewis structure of PCl₃
• Lewis structure of SF₆

External video

• OF2 Lewis Structure: How to Draw the Lewis Structure for OF2 – YouTube • Wayne Breslyn

External links

• OF2 lewis structure, molecular geometry, hybridization and bond angle – Geometry of Molecules
• OF2 lewis structure, molecular or electron geometry, polar or non-polar? – Topblogtenz
• OF2 Lewis Structure in 6 Steps (With Images) – Pediabay
• Lewis Structure for OF2 (Oxygen difluoride) – The University of Maryland
• OF2 Lewis Structure, Molecular Geometry, Hybridization, Polarity, and MO Diagram – Techiescientist
• OF2 Lewis Structure, Geometry – Kemicalinfo
• What is the Lewis structure of OF2? – Homework.Study.com
• draw a Lewis structure for OF2, with O as the central atom – Chegg
• Lewis Dot Structure for OF2 | Chemical Bonding – The Geoexchange
• OF2 Geometry and Hybridization – Chemistry Steps
• Write a Lewis structure for OF2 – Brainly
• OF2 Lewis structure – Reddit
• What is the Lewis structure for OF2? – Quizlet
• In the Lewis structure for the OF2 molecule, the number of lone pairs of electrons around the central oxygen atom is – Bartleby
• Is OF2 Lewis acid? – Answers