Does NO₃⁻ have resonance structures?

Yes, NO₃⁻ has 3 resonance structures.

Lewis Structure of NO₃⁻ (Nitrate Ion)

Q: How do you draw the Lewis structure of NO₃⁻?

NO₃⁻ has 24 valence electrons. Nitrogen is central, bonded to three oxygens. Three single bonds use 6 electrons; 18 remain. Distribute: 3 lone pairs on each O (18 e⁻). N only has 6 — needs 8.

What is the Lewis structure of NO₃⁻?

NO₃⁻ has 24 valence electrons, 4 bonding electron pairs, and 8 lone pairs. NO₃⁻ has 24 valence electrons (23 + 1). Three resonance structures exist where the double bond rotates among the three N–O positions. N has FC = +1 and each single-bonded O has FC = -1. The bond order is 1.33.

Lewis structure of NO₃⁻ (Nitrate Ion)

Formula	NO₃⁻
Name	Nitrate Ion
Total Valence Electrons	24
Lone Pairs	8
Has Resonance	Yes
Resonance Structures	3
Concept	Polyatomic Ion
Difficulty	Advanced

Step 1: Count Valence Electrons

N has 5, each O has 6, plus 1 for the charge: 5 + 3(6) + 1 = 24.

Step 2: Draw the Skeleton

Nitrogen is central, bonded to three oxygens. Three single bonds use 6 electrons; 18 remain.

Step 3: Distribute Lone Pairs

Distribute: 3 lone pairs on each O (18 e⁻). N only has 6 — needs 8.

Step 4: Form Multiple Bonds

Convert 1 lone pair from one O into a π bond: N=O. N now has 8 electrons.

Step 5: Check Formal Charges

N: FC = 5 - 0 - ½(8) = +1
O (double bond): FC = 6 - 4 - ½(4) = 0
O (single bond): FC = 6 - 6 - ½(2) = -1
Sum = +1 + 0 + (-1) + (-1) = -1, matching the ion charge.

Resonance Structures

NO₃⁻ has 3 resonance structures. The actual electronic structure is a hybrid of all resonance contributors.

Resonance structure 2

Resonance structure 3

Interactive Lewis structure builder with guided walkthroughs and practice quizzes.

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