Finally, it must be noted that, in terms of atomic charges, our model clearly shows how I5 -is supposed to have atomic positions 1 and 5 with a valence electron count shifted towards 8, else atoms 2 and 4 would significantly violate the octet rule (in a similar situation to the I3 -case). The bending process can be read as formal electron donation from atom 3 towards atoms 2 and 4. It should be noted, as commented, that the ability of atoms 2 and 4 to accept such electrons is again limited due to octet rule concerns. Overall, our dot graph suggests positions 1, 3 and 5 as those bearing most of the negative charge. This finds confirmation in in silico data of both linear and bent I5 -anions. Notice how this picture (Figure bottom) is significantly different from that obtained from the standard Lewis formula (Figure