How many valence electrons does SO2 have?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking about the number of valence electrons present in a sulfur dioxide (SO2) molecule. To find this, we sum the valence electrons from each atom in the molecule: sulfur contributes 6 and each oxygen contributes 6, giving a total of 18 valence electrons.

More Information

SO2 has a total of 18 valence electrons with 6 from sulfur (S) and 6 from each oxygen (O) atom, contributing to its covalent bonding structure.

Tips

A common mistake is to miscount the number of valence electrons for each element. Ensure you count 6 valence electrons for both sulfur and each oxygen.

Sources

• What is the total number of outer valence electrons in sulfur dioxide (SO2) - homework.study.com
• How many valence electrons are accounted for in the Lewis Dot Structure for SO2 - ck12.org
• How the SO2 lewis structure is formed - ChemicalBook - chemicalbook.com