Delocalized electrons

[Mansi_1D]

What does it means by electrons in resonance structures are delocalized?

[Trinity Vu 1D]

This means that the electrons are not fixed to one specific position/atom. For example, in resonance structures, one structure can have a single bond between atoms A and B and a double bond between B and C. However, in another structure, there's a double and between A and B and a single bond between B and C. Since the double bound changed locations, the bond (and thus electron pair) is delocalized.

[Amanda Lin 2I]

They are delocalized because they move between two atoms instead of staying with one atom.

[Deepika Reddy 1A]

This means that the electrons aren't concentrated around just on atom. Instead, they are delocalized and they go between the different atoms in the molecule, instead of being associated with just one atom in the molecule. This makes the resonance structure more stable.

[Gabriella Bates 2L]

When electrons are delocalized, it means that they aren't associated with a single atom or covalent bond. We can see this in resonance structures, where the Lewis structure can have multiple equivalent locations for a bond, such as a double bond. Here, the observed bond lengths are between the experimentally determined lengths of single and double bonds, showing that the electrons move between different bonds in the molecule.