In the chemical NO3, the formal charge of nitrogen is + 1. When the charges of the one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms are added together, the overall charge of the nitrate ion is negative one.
Subtracting the number of lone electrons and half the number of bound electrons from the total number of valence electrons yields the formal charge. There are no lone electrons on the nitrogen atom, however it does have four bonding electrons and five valence electrons. The charge can be calculated using the method 5 – 4 – 0 = 1. Two of the oxygen atoms in the ion have a formal charge of minus 1.
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