Below is the Lewis structure of CH3CO2, which has one other resonance structure. H,C-C= :0 N Complete the resonance structure by dragging bonds and electron lone pairs to their appropriate positions.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The molecule CH3CO2, commonly known as the acetate ion, can indeed have resonance structures. The Lewis structure provided in your link shows one of the possible resonance structures. Let’s discuss the completion of the resonance form and provide an image of the corrected resonance structure.
Explanation of the Resonance Structure:
Resonance in chemistry represents a way of describing the electronic structure of a molecule using multiple Lewis structures. These structures differ only in the positions of the electrons, not the positions of the atoms.
In the case of the acetate ion, ( CH_3CO_2^- ), the resonance occurs mainly due to the movement of electrons around the oxygen and carbon atoms in the CO2 group. The provided Lewis structure likely shows a double bond between one of the oxygen atoms and the carbon, while the other oxygen atom has three lone pairs and a negative charge.
Steps to Complete the Resonance Structure:
- Original Structure: Assume the given structure has the central carbon atom double-bonded to one oxygen (with two lone pairs) and single-bonded to the other oxygen (which has three lone pairs and bears a negative charge).
- Resonance Formation: In the resonance structure, the double bond between the carbon and the first oxygen can shift to form a double bond between the carbon and the second oxygen. This results in the movement of the negative charge:
- The oxygen with the original double bond now gains an extra lone pair and becomes negatively charged.
- The oxygen which was initially single-bonded (and negatively charged) now forms a double bond with the carbon, losing a lone pair and the negative charge.
This movement demonstrates the delocalization of electrons, a characteristic feature of resonance, which provides stability to the molecule by allowing the charge to be spread over several atoms rather than localized on one.
Generating the Image of the Resonance Structure:
Let me create an image to illustrate this description of the resonance structure.
Here is the image showing the resonance structures for the acetate ion, CH3CO2-. This illustration visualizes how the double bond and the negative charge shift between the two oxygen atoms to display the different resonance forms. Each structure emphasizes the distribution and arrangement of electrons, which highlights the molecule’s ability to stabilize through resonance.
