Questions: How many covalent bonds are formed in SO4?

Solution Steps

Identify the number of valence electrons for sulfur and oxygen. Sulfur (S) has 6 valence electrons, and each oxygen (O) atom also has 6 valence electrons. Since there are four oxygen atoms, the total number of valence electrons for oxygen is \(4 \times 6 = 24\).

Add the valence electrons from sulfur and oxygen. Sulfur contributes 6 electrons, and the four oxygen atoms contribute 24 electrons, giving a total of \(6 + 24 = 30\) valence electrons.

Draw the Lewis structure for the sulfate ion \(\mathrm{SO}_{4}^{2-}\). Sulfur is the central atom, and it forms double bonds with two of the oxygen atoms and single bonds with the other two oxygen atoms. The structure also includes two additional electrons to account for the \(2-\) charge, which are placed as lone pairs on the oxygen atoms.

Count the number of covalent bonds in the Lewis structure. There are two double bonds and two single bonds. Each double bond counts as two covalent bonds, and each single bond counts as one covalent bond. Therefore, the total number of covalent bonds is \(2 \times 2 + 2 \times 1 = 6\).

Final Answer