Question

Draw all the resonance structures for the following radical. How many are there in total?

a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

Answer 1

To draw all the resonance structures for a given radical and determine the total number of resonance structures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks for all the resonance structures for a given radical, and the number of total resonance structures. To draw all the resonance structures, we first need to determine the Lewis structure of the radical. Let's assume the given radical is a nitrogen radical (N•).

1. Draw the Lewis structure for the nitrogen radical, with the unpaired electron represented as a dot next to the nitrogen atom.
2. Next, we need to move the unpaired electron to different positions to create resonance structures. We can show these by moving the unpaired electron to the neighboring atoms, which are typically carbon or oxygen.
3. For the nitrogen radical, we can move the unpaired electron to the carbon atom or the oxygen atom adjacent to the nitrogen. These different arrangements represent the resonance structures.
4. Therefore, for the given nitrogen radical, there are 2 total resonance structures.