The total number of lone pairs of electrons on oxygen atoms of ozone is ______
Answer: 6
Solution
Ozone carries eighteen valence electrons. Its central oxygen is joined to one terminal oxygen by a double bond and to the other by a single bond, and these bonds use six electrons. The remaining twelve electrons sit as lone pairs: the doubly bonded terminal oxygen holds two lone pairs, the singly bonded terminal oxygen holds three, and the central oxygen, which bears a positive formal charge, holds one. The total number of lone pairs on the oxygen atoms is six.
JEE Main · 2023 · 25 Jan 2023 · Shift 1 · Integer answer