formal charge
Definitions
The hypothetical charge an atom would have if all electrons in its covalent bonds were shared equally between the bonded atoms.
A value used in chemistry to determine the most stable Lewis structure for a molecule by calculating the difference between valence electrons and assigned electrons.
Examples
To determine the most stable Lewis structure, chemists calculate the formal charge of each atom in the molecule.
The formal charge on the oxygen atom in this resonance structure is calculated by subtracting the assigned electrons from its valence electrons.