What formal charge resides on the carbon of CO₃^2-?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the formal charge of carbon, we need to subtract the number of valence electrons in the free atom of carbon (4) from the number of valence electrons assigned to the atom in the molecule. In this case, the carbon atom is bonded to one sulfur atom and one oxygen atom, each of which is also bonded to additional atoms. The sulfur atom has one lone pair of electrons and two single bonds. The oxygen atom has two lone pairs of electrons and one single bond. Therefore, the carbon atom is assigned (1 + 1 + 2 + 2) = 6 electrons in the molecule. Subtracting the 4 valence electrons of carbon gives a formal charge of zero.

What Formal Charge Resides on the Carbon of CO32-

What Formal Charge Resides on the Carbon of CO₃^2-