Observed Bond Lengths

[Anne Tsai 1F]

Someone has asked about this already, but I still don't understand how a structure can be a blend of multiple structures. Does it mean that a structure is constantly alternating between all of its possible arrangements?

[Kendall 3H]

Yes, that is one way to think about it. Electrons are constantly changing which atoms they are being shared between. It is important to remember that electrons are always moving, they are not stationary.

[KaitlynBali_4B]

The book explains a molecule with resonance does not flicker between different structures and is rather a blend between the different resonance structures. The bonds between every nitrogen and oxygen atom in a nitrate ion have properties that are in between the properties of double and single bonds. I like how the book compares resonance hybrid to the hybrid of a mule (which is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey and not something that switches back and forth between a horse and a donkey).

[SMIYAZAKI_1B]

When it comes to resonance,think of it like bunch of blocks. You can place the block in the shape of T, but those blocks can be rearranged, right? As long as the rules are met and it is formatted correctly, they can swap around because it still is a same structure.