Pointers For Appropriate Resonance Structures

[Sean Sugai 4E]

Besides understanding that a formal charge of 0 yields the most stable resonance structure, what other pointers are there for drawing structures and predicting which one contributes the most to the actual structure?

[Karyn How 1J]

The most important part about stable resonance structures is having formal charges that are 0 or are the closest numbers to zero. If there are negative charges, it's usually better if they are part of the more electronegative elements. Usually, you would also want to have the least electronegative element in the center if there are many elements and always make sure the electron count is accurate.

[RoshniVarmaDis1K]

In addition to the above, keeping in mind that H prefers one bond, O prefers two bonds, N prefers three bonds, and carbon prefers four bonds will help you place double/triple bonds that can contribute to resonance within structures.