Bond Order

[Mauricio Marin_Dis 2B]

Hi, when considering Resonance Structures and the bond order, do we take the average only if the resulting lewis structure gives us the total charge with the smallest formal charge of each atom if that makes sense, or would it also be the average if you have another lewis structure with atoms that have more charge and atoms with less that still equal the total charge? Sorry I hope this makes sense.

[Sebastien_P2C]

I believe I understand what you're saying. I believe that while those structures may contribute some towards the average lengths of that specific bond, the structures itself will tend towards the ones with more formal charge, and thus you would expect to see that the average for the bond order will mainly be the resonance structure with the formal charge! hope this helps!