Resonance Structures

[Rakhi Ratanjee 1D]

How can you determine the maximum number of resonance structures that a molecular can have?

[Eryn Wilkinson 3H]

I think that it really helps to draw out the Lewis structures when determining resonance, because it's just all of the different places that a double or triple bond could be in. Sometimes there is only one spot that it is possible for a double bond to exist in, but other times, like in benzene, the double bonds could shift to a spot equally as likely.

[aaron tang 2K]

The most important idea here is draw out all the possible lewis structures to determine the resonance. A lot of the times, the double bond or triple bond can occur almost anywhere, but in some specific elements a double bond can only occur in a specific spot. So beware and be careful when drawing out the lewis structures.

[Michelle Lu 1F]

In order to determine the number of resonance structures there are of a certain molecule, you must draw out all of the possible structures whether it's using single, double, or triple bonds. However, you must make sure that these have the correct number of valence electrons, otherwise it is not a resonance structure.