Sulfur has a formal charge of 0 . Two Oxygens have a formal charge of 0 (double-bonded). Two Oxygens have a formal charge of -1 (single-bonded).
Place Sulfur in the center and surround it with the four Oxygen atoms. Draw single bonds connecting them. lewis structure so42
There are where the double bonds can be arranged in different combinations: Sulfur has a formal charge of 0
2️⃣ Place S in the center, single-bond to 4 O atoms. That uses 8 e⁻ (4 bonds). but it has poor formal charges:
Sulfur looked at his desk. He had 6 valence electrons of his own, and because the company had just taken out a loan (the
4️⃣ With only single bonds:
The "draft" structure above obeys the octet rule, but it has poor formal charges: