How many lone pairs are there in a valid Lewis structure of ozone (O3)?

In a valid Lewis structure of ozone (O3), there are a total of two lone pairs of electrons. To understand why this is the case, one should first consider the arrangement of atoms and the distribution of electrons.

Ozone consists of three oxygen atoms. In its Lewis structure, one oxygen atom acts as a central atom bonded to the other two oxygen atoms. To fulfill the octet rule, we need to take into account the total number of valence electrons available. Each oxygen atom has six valence electrons, contributing a total of 18 valence electrons for three oxygen atoms.

In the structure, two of the oxygen atoms form a double bond with the central oxygen atom, consuming 4 out of the total 18 valence electrons. This leaves us with 14 valence electrons to distribute. Given that each of the outer oxygen atoms now shares 4 electrons (because of the double bonds), they each have 2 leftover electrons that are not involved in bonding, representing lone pairs.

The central oxygen atom, sharing four valence electrons through its double bond with the outer oxygen atoms, does not have any lone pairs. Consequently, the total number of lone pairs, which are the unshared pairs of electrons, adds up to