What is the Lewis Structure of OF₂?

The Lewis structure for OF₂ (oxygen difluoride) consists of the central oxygen atom bonded to two fluorine atoms. Here’s how to draw it:

1. Count the total number of valence electrons. Oxygen has 6 valence electrons, and each fluorine atom has 7, giving a total of 6 + 7 + 7 = 20 valence electrons.
2. Place the oxygen atom in the center, and place the fluorine atoms on either side of it.
3. Connect each fluorine atom to the oxygen atom with a single bond, which uses 4 electrons (2 for each bond).
4. After forming the bonds, you have 20 – 4 = 16 valence electrons left. Place three pairs of electrons (6 electrons) around each fluorine atom to complete their octets.
5. This uses up all 20 valence electrons: 4 for the bonds and 12 for the lone pairs on the fluorine atoms.

The resulting Lewis structure can be represented as follows:

   F:
    | 
    O
    | 
   F:

In this structure, oxygen has two pairs of lone electrons remaining, and each fluorine has three pairs of lone electrons. This satisfies the octet rule for all the atoms involved.