Answer:
The lewis structure of the formate ion is shown in the attached picture.
Explanation:
The formate ion has 1 atom of Hydrogen, 1 atom of Carbon and 3 atoms of Oxygen.
The total amount of electrons involved in the structure are:
1 e⁻ (from Hydrogen) + 4 e⁻ (from Carbon) + 2 × (6 e⁻) (from Oxygen) + 1 e⁻ (ion's charge)= 18 e⁻
The central atom is C. The best Lewis structure has a double bond on one oxygen and the negative charge on the other oxygen.
The structure is shown in the attached picture.
