Effect of resonance on degeneracy and entropy

[Aditya Narashim 1K]

Does resonance impact degeneracy and entropy? I thought it would because this adds to the complexity of the molecule but I am not sure?

[106052916]

You're correct! It primarily affects the number of microstates available to a system. Resonance structures contribute to the overall energy and available microstates of a system as well as its complexity and, therefore, entropy.

[Nikhil Pillai 2K]

Resonance represents different positional possibilities for atoms, so this contributes to the amount of microstates in a system, and therefore it increases entropy.