To determine the formal charge on the nitrogen (N) atom in the given molecule, you can follow these step-by-step instructions.
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify valence electrons:
- Nitrogen (N) typically has 5 valence electrons.
2. Determine non-bonding electrons on nitrogen:
- Count the lone pairs on the nitrogen atom. In the NO molecule, nitrogen has 1 lone pair, which is equivalent to 2 non-bonding electrons.
3. Determine bonding electrons:
- Identify how many bonding electrons are associated with nitrogen. In NO, nitrogen forms a bond with oxygen.
4. Calculate bonding contribution:
- Bonding electrons are shared between atoms. If nitrogen forms one bond with oxygen, it would typically share 2 electrons per bond, assuming a simple single bond scenario.
5. Using the formal charge formula:
- The formal charge formula is:
[tex]\[
\text{Formal charge} = (\text{Valence electrons}) - (\text{Non-bonding electrons}) - \left(\frac{\text{Bonding electrons}}{2}\right)
\][/tex]
- Plug in the values:
- Valence electrons (N) = 5
- Non-bonding electrons = 2
- Bonding electrons = 3 (this odd number is due to resonance stabilization considerations in NO)
6. Solve the formal charge formula:
- Calculation:
[tex]\[
\text{Formal charge} = 5 - 2 - \left(\frac{3}{2}\right)
\][/tex]
[tex]\[
\text{Formal charge} = 5 - 2 - 1.5 = 1.5
\][/tex]
7. Compare and interpret the result:
- The calculated formal charge on the nitrogen atom is +1.5.
Given the provided options:
- (A) +1
- (B) -1
- (C) 0
- (D) +2
The nearest and suitable formal charge option for nitrogen (N) in the molecule is not exactly provided in the options typically, as formal charges tend to be whole numbers in these contexts, but based on standard choices, +1 could be a potential closest answer to +1.5, were we to contextualize an approximation or resonance effect.
For a strict dataset, none of these choices fit exactly given the non-standard context provided mathematically via result, but based on educational norms, we derive such close, possible standard values.
