Which of the following best describes the Lewis dot structure for OF_2 (oxygen difluoride)?

• A. Fluorine is the central atom with two single bonds to oxygen and two lone pairs on fluorine.
• B. Oxygen is the central atom with two single bonds to fluorine atoms and two lone pairs on oxygen.
• C. Oxygen is the central atom with two single bonds to fluorine atoms and no lone pairs on oxygen.
• D. Oxygen is the central atom with one double bond to one fluorine and one single bond to the other fluorine, with one lone pair on oxygen.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Determine the total number of valence electrons for OF_2. Oxygen has 6 valence electrons, and each fluorine has 7 valence electrons, so total valence electrons = 6 + 2 \times 7 = 20 electrons.
2. Step 2: Identify the central atom. Oxygen is less electronegative than fluorine, so oxygen will be the central atom with two fluorine atoms bonded to it.
3. Step 3: Draw single bonds between the central oxygen atom and each fluorine atom. Each single bond uses 2 electrons, so 4 electrons are used in bonding.
4. Step 4: Distribute the remaining electrons as lone pairs to satisfy the octet rule. Place lone pairs on fluorine atoms first to complete their octets, then place any remaining electrons on oxygen.
5. Step 5: Verify that all atoms have a complete octet (8 electrons around each atom) and that the total number of electrons used equals the total valence electrons calculated in Step 1.