How many resonance structures are there for NO2?

1 Answer
Aug 4, 2014

There are two major resonance structures for #"NO"_2#.

Explanation:

You must first draw the Lewis structure for #"NO"_2#.

You find that you can draw two Lewis structures.

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However, there are two even better Lewis structures.

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The #"N"# atom has an unpaired electron and a positive charge.

Every atom has a formal charge of zero.

These are the two major resonance contributors to #"NO"_2#.