For the nitrate ion ([tex]NO_3^-[/tex]), which description correctly explains its resonance structures and the significance of formal charges?

A. The nitrate ion has one dominant resonance structure with all oxygen atoms double-bonded to the nitrogen, which carries a double negative charge.

B. The nitrate ion does not exhibit any resonance or formal charges due to its symmetric structure.

C. The nitrate ion has multiple resonance structures with all atoms having zero formal charges.

D. The nitrate ion has three resonance structures, with nitrogen always neutral, and the negative charge delocalized among the oxygen atoms.

E. The nitrate ion has three resonance structures, each with the nitrogen atom carrying a positive formal charge and different oxygen atoms carrying the negative charge.

The nitrate ion has three resonance structures, where nitrogen carries no formal charge while the negative charge spreads out among the oxygen atoms. This delocalization leads to indistinguishable bond lengths among the N-O bonds. The best representation of these properties reflects their average charge distributions and bond character.

Explanation:

Understanding the Nitrate Ion (NO3-)

The nitrate ion, NO3-, possesses three resonance structures which contribute to its overall structure. In these resonance forms, nitrogen retains a neutral charge while the negative charge is delocalized over the three oxygen atoms. This means that each oxygen atom carries a formal charge of -2/3 when you consider the average effect of these structures.

Resonance structures illustrate that the oxygen atoms in the nitrate ion are indistinguishable from each other, leading to equivalent N-O bond lengths. The resonance models include variations where one oxygen atom forms a double bond with nitrogen while the others have single bonds; however, experimentally, all N-O bonds are found to be equal due to their resonance hybrid nature. Therefore, the correct option describing the significance of formal charges in this case would be: "The nitrate ion has three resonance structures, with nitrogen always neutral, and the negative charge delocalized among the oxygen atoms."

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