User:Raghuram 18/Sample page

Formal Charge

A formal charge is also known as a 'fake charge'. It's a theoretical charge over an individual atom of an ion as the real charge over a polyatomic molecule or ion is distributed on an ion as a whole and not over a single atom. "The formal charge of an atom of a polyatomic molecule or ion is defined as the difference between the number of Valence electrons of that atom in the elemental state and the number of electrons assigned to that atom in Lewis structure"