Formal Charge Definition in Chemistry

Formal Charge Definition in Chemistry Formal charge of FC is the difference between the number of valence electrons of each atom and the number of electrons the atom is associated with. Formal charge assumes any shared electrons are equally shared between the two bonded atoms.Formal charge is calculated using the equation:FC eV - eN - eB/2 whereeV number of valence electrons of the atom as if it were isolated from the moleculeeN number of unbound valence electrons on the atom in the moleculeeB number of electrons shared by the bonds to other atoms in the molecule Formal Charge Example Calculation For example, carbon dioxide or CO2 is a neutral molecule that has 16 valence electrons. There are three different ways to draw the Lewis structure for the molecule to determine formal charge: The carbon atom may be joined to both oxygen atom via double bonds (carbon 0, oxygen 0, formal charge 0)The carbon atom may have a single bond with one oxygen atom and a double bond to the other oxygen atom (carbon 1, oxygen-double 0, oxygen-single -1, formal charge 0)The carbon atom may be joined to each oxygen atom via single bonds (carbon 2, oxygens -1 each, formal charge 0) Each possibility results in a formal charge of zero, but the first choice is the best one because it predicts no charge in the molecule. This is more stable and thus is most likely. See how to calculate formal charge with another  example problem. Formal Charge Key Takeaways Formal charge (FC) is the electric charge of an atom in a molecule.It is calculated as the number of valence electrons minus half the number of electrons shared in a bond minus the number of electrons not bound in the molecule.Formal charge is used to estimate the way electric charge is distributed in a molecule.

The Redstockings Womens Liberation Group

The Redstockings Women's Liberation Group The radical feminist group Redstockings was founded in New York in 1969. The name Redstockings was a play on the word bluestocking, adapted to include red, a color long associated with revolution and uprising. Bluestocking was an old term for a woman who had intellectual or literary interests, instead of the supposedly acceptable feminine interests. The word bluestocking had been applied with a negative connotation to 18th and 19th-century feminist women. Who Were the Redstockings? Redstockings formed when the 1960s group New York Radical Women (NYRW) dissolved. NYRW split up after disagreements about political action, feminist theory, and leadership structure. NYRW members began meeting in separate smaller groups, with some women choosing to follow the leader whose philosophy matched theirs. Redstockings was started by Shulamith Firestone and Ellen Willis. Other members included prominent feminist thinkers Corrine Grad Coleman, Carol Hanisch, and Kathie (Amatniek) Sarachild. Redstockings Manifesto and Beliefs The members of Redstockings firmly believed that women were oppressed as a class. They also asserted that the existing male-dominated society was inherently flawed, destructive, and oppressive. Redstockings wanted the feminist movement to reject the flaws in liberal activism and protest movements. Members said that the existing left perpetuated a society with men in positions power and women stuck in support positions or making coffee. The Redstockings Manifesto called for women to unite to achieve liberation from men as the agents of oppression. The Manifesto also insisted that women not be blamed for their own oppression. Redstockings rejected economic, racial, and class privileges and demanded an end to the exploitative structure of male-dominated society. The Work of Redstockings Redstockings members spread feminist ideas such as consciousness-raising and the slogan sisterhood is powerful. Early group protests included a 1969 abortion speak-out in New York. Redstockings members were appalled by a legislative hearing on abortion at which there were at least a dozen male speakers, and the only woman who spoke was a nun. To protest, they held their own hearing, where women testified about personal experiences with abortion. Redstockings Published a book called Feminist Revolution in 1975. It contained history and analysis of the feminist movement, with writings about what had been achieved and what the next steps would be. Redstockings now exists as a grassroots think tank working on Womens Liberation issues. Veteran members of Redstockings established an archive project in 1989 to collect and make available texts and other materials from the Womens Liberation movement.