Final answer:
To draw the Lewis structure for the carbonate ion (CO3^2-), place the carbon in the center and surround it with three oxygen atoms. One oxygen atom forms a double bond with carbon, and the remaining two oxygen atoms have lone pairs of electrons. The carbonate ion exhibits resonance because there are three equivalent resonance structures that can be drawn, with the double bond forming with a different oxygen atom in each structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
To draw the Lewis structure for the carbonate ion (CO32-), we start by counting the valence electrons of each atom: carbon has 4 valence electrons, and each oxygen has 6 valence electrons. Since there are three oxygen atoms, the total number of valence electrons is 4 + 3(6) = 22.
In the Lewis structure, we place the carbon in the center and surround it with three oxygen atoms. Each oxygen atom forms a single bond with the carbon, and one of the oxygen atoms forms a double bond with the carbon to complete its octet. The remaining two oxygen atoms have a lone pair of electrons.
Regarding resonance, the carbonate ion exhibits resonance because there are three equivalent resonance structures that can be drawn for the ion. In each resonance structure, the double bond can be formed with a different oxygen atom. The actual structure of the carbonate ion is an average of these resonance structures, with each carbon-oxygen bond having the same length and bond strength.