Draw a Lewis structure for the azide ion, N32. (The order of atom attachment isN!N!N

Key concept

Resonance

In organic chemistry, resonance refers to the ability of a molecule to exist in two or more forms that are in equilibrium with each other. These forms are called resonance structures or canonical forms, and they differ only in the distribution of electrons within the molecule. For eg :

Resonance occurs when the electrons in a molecule can be rearranged in such a way that the molecule can be represented by multiple Lewis structures (also known as electron dot diagrams) that are all equivalent in terms of their bonding and non-bonding electrons. These multiple Lewis structures are called resonance structures.

Resonance structures are important in organic chemistry because they help to explain the stability and reactivity of molecules, as well as their physical and chemical properties. Understanding resonance allows chemists to predict how a molecule will behave and react with other molecules.

A Lewis structure

A Lewis structure, also known as an electron dot diagram, is a representation of the valence electrons of an atom or a molecule. It shows the chemical symbol of the atom, and uses dots (also known as "electron dots" or "Lewis dots") to indicate the valence electrons of the atom. The valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom, which are involved in chemical bonding.

Step 1 of 2

In azide ion, there are three resonance structures.

where one of them has two double bonds between nitrogen atoms, and two of them have one single and one triple bond between them.

As we can see from them, two pairs of electrons are delocalized through the ion, and since these resonance structures change fast between each other, bond lengths are the same.

Also two we can see that the resonance structure with two double bonds is 'average resonance structure' of the other two combined, and therefore bond lengths are the same.