Chemistry Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for scientists, academics, teachers, and students in the field of chemistry. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
When solving the lewis structure for the $\ce{ClO2-}$ ion, taking into consideration formal charges, the structure is represented as:
A lewis model with 2 double bonds also fits the formal charge and lewis model requirements, however this time the negative formal charge would be on the chlorine atom. Is there a reason this form is not favoured?
When drawing structures and taking into consideration formal charge, negative charges are assigned to the most electronegative atoms. Since the electronegativity of chlorine is less than the electronegativity of oxygen, it follows that the model with 2 double bounds is less favorable.
