In the Lewis diagram of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), how many lone pairs are around the sulfur atom?

In the Lewis structure of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), sulfur is the central atom.

Step 1: Count the total number of valence electrons. Sulfur has 6 valence electrons and oxygen has 6 valence electrons. Since there are two oxygen atoms, the total number of valence electrons is 6 + 2(6) = 18.

Step 2: Draw a skeleton structure of the molecule. Connect sulfur with the two oxygen atoms. Each line represents a pair of shared electrons, so subtract these from the total number of valence electrons. 18 - 4 = 14 electrons are left.

Step 3: Fill the octets of the outer atoms (oxygen in this case). Each oxygen atom needs 6 more electrons to complete its octet. So, subtract these from the remaining electrons. 14 - 2(6) = 2 electrons are left.

Step 4: Place the remaining electrons on the central atom (sulfur). So, sulfur has one lone pair of electrons around it in the Lewis structure of sulfur dioxide (SO₂).