What is the Lewis structure formula, electron pair geometry and the molecular geometry for SO4^2-

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To determine the Lewis structure formula, electron pair geometry, and molecular geometry of the sulfate ion (SO4^2-), we need to follow a step-by-step process:

1. Lewis Structure Formula:
To determine the Lewis structure formula, we first need to count the total number of valence electrons in the molecule. In sulfate (SO4^2-), sulfur (S) is the central atom and oxygen (O) atoms surround it.

The valence electron count for sulfur (S) is 6 since it is in Group 6 of the periodic table. Each oxygen (O) atom contributes 6 valence electrons as well. Considering there are four oxygen atoms, we get a total of 4 * 6 = 24 electrons. Lastly, since the sulfate ion has an overall charge of -2, we need to add 2 extra electrons.

Therefore, the total electron count for the sulfate ion is 6 (S) + 24 (O) + 2 (extra) = 32 electrons.

Next, we arrange the atoms in a way that the central atom (sulfur) is bonded to the oxygen atoms. Once the connections are determined, we place the remaining electrons in pairs around the atoms while obeying the octet rule (except for the central atom) and assigning formal charges if necessary.

The Lewis structure formula for SO4^2- looks like this:

O
||
O - S - O
||
O

2. Electron Pair Geometry:
The electron pair geometry describes the arrangement of all electron pairs (bonding and non-bonding) around the central atom. In the case of SO4^2-, the sulfur atom is bonded to four oxygen atoms, and there are no lone pairs on the central atom.

Therefore, the electron pair geometry is tetrahedral, as there are four electron pairs around the central sulfur atom.

3. Molecular Geometry:
The molecular geometry describes the arrangement of only the bonding electron pairs around the central atom. In sulfate (SO4^2-), the four oxygen atoms are bonded to sulfur. Since there are no lone pairs on the central atom, the molecular geometry is also tetrahedral.

So, the Lewis structure formula for SO4^2- is a tetrahedral model, where the sulfur atom is bonded to four oxygen atoms, and the electron pair geometry and molecular geometry are both tetrahedral as well.