Compare the carbon-oxygen bond lengths in the formate ion, HCO2^-, and in the carbonate ion, CO3

step 1 just allows for the non -metal atoms in the bond to obey the octet rule and become more stable a

Compare the carbon-oxygen bond lengths in the formate ion,...

Labs

Want to see this concept in action?

NEW

Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.

View Labs

Key Concepts

Resonance

Resonance is the concept where a molecule is represented by multiple contributing structures that differ only in the placement of electrons, not the arrangement of atoms. This delocalization of electrons spreads out charge and bonding characteristics, resulting in bond lengths and strengths that are an average of the individual contributing structures.

Bond Order

Bond order refers to the effective number of bonds between a pair of atoms. In systems with resonance, the overall bond order becomes fractional due to the averaging over multiple structures. A higher bond order typically indicates a stronger, shorter bond, while a lower bond order correlates with a weaker, longer bond.

Relationship between Bond Order and Bond Length

There is an inverse relationship between bond order and bond length: bonds with a higher bond order are generally shorter because of the stronger electron sharing between the bonded atoms. In molecules where resonance delocalization results in differing effective bond orders, the bonds with a lower effective bond order will have a longer bond length.

Transcript

Please give Ace some feedback