So4 -2 Lewis |link| Access

Sulfur’s eyes lit up. "Of course!"

But there was a problem. When Sulfur tried to share a single pair of electrons with each Oxygen (making four single bonds), he ran out of electrons. He was left with a miserable +4 formal charge, and each Oxygen had a -1 charge. The structure was unstable, like a table with three legs. so4 -2 lewis

Every millisecond, the double bonds would hop from one Oxygen to another. Click. Now a different Oxygen has the double bond. Click. Now another. Sulfur’s eyes lit up

"Let's bond!" said Sulfur. "I have six valence electrons of my own. You four each have six. Together, we can form a stable ring of eight." He was left with a miserable +4 formal

He summoned two of the Oxygen atoms. "You two," he said, "will share double bonds with me."