Which of the following molecules exhibits resonance?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
Which of the following molecules exhibits resonance?
H2O
CO2
O3
CH4
Ozone (O3) exhibits resonance due to the delocalization of electrons.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Which of the following molecules exhibits resonance?
Solution: Ozone (O3) exhibits resonance due to the delocalization of electrons.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Understand what resonance means. Resonance occurs when a molecule can be represented by two or more valid Lewis structures that differ only in the arrangement of electrons.
Step 2: Identify the molecule in question, which is ozone (O3).
Step 3: Draw the Lewis structure of ozone. It has a central oxygen atom bonded to two other oxygen atoms.
Step 4: Notice that there are different ways to arrange the double and single bonds between the oxygen atoms in the Lewis structure.
Step 5: Recognize that these different arrangements show that the electrons are delocalized, meaning they are not fixed in one position.
Step 6: Conclude that because ozone can be represented by multiple valid structures, it exhibits resonance.