What are all resonance structures for SO3?

1 Answer
Ernest Z.
Sep 22, 2014

There are seven resonance structures for #"SO"_3#.

Explanation:

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When you draw the Lewis structure, you first get the three structures at the top.

In each of them, #"S"# has a formal charge of +2 and two of the #"O"# atoms have formal charges of -1.

In each of the three structures in the middle, #"S"# has a formal charge of +1 and one of the #"O"# atoms has a formal charge of -1.

In the bottom structure, all atoms have a formal charge of zero.

From the point of view of formal charges, the bottom structure is the most stable structure.

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