The formal charge is the "charge" an element would have in a molecule or ion if all of the bonding electrons were shared equally between atoms. We can draw three inequivalent Lewis structures for the sulfite ion , soy? The concepts of formal charge and electronegativity can help us choose the structure that is the best representation. 1. Assign formal charges to the elements in each of the structures below. Note: Count oxygen atoms starting from the left for each structure : 0 :6-: 0 0- =: 0 :0: :0: B Formal Charge S 0, 02 Oy 2. The best Lewis structure for SO, Previous