What are the resonance structures for #CO_3^-2#?
1 Answer
Jan 27, 2017
This is a carbonate ion. A resonance structure means that there are more than one way to draw the ion.
Explanation:
First, determine the total number of electrons available:
1 Carbon - 4
3 Oxygen -
And the charge of
Hence, there are 24 electrons in total (
Carbon would be in the middle which gives you
However, note that carbon does not have a full octet shell. Hence, a pair of electrons from oxygen needs to come over and form a double bond. Note that the double bond can come from any oxygen atom which gives carbonate its resonance structure.
