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Chapter 5: Problem 90

A student claims that the bonds in ozone are really not double bonds or single bonds but somewhere between (roughly \(1.5\) bonds between each oxvgen). Justify this statement.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The claim that the bonds in ozone are neither double bonds nor single bonds, but approximately 1.5 bonds between each oxygen atom, can be justified by the concept of resonance. Ozone has two canonical resonance structures with different bond locations, and its actual structure is a hybrid of these, spreading electrons over the three oxygen atoms. This results in a bond character that is somewhere between a single bond and a double bond between the central oxygen and each of the terminal oxygen atoms, thus supporting the claim.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the structure of ozone

Ozone (O3) is a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms, and its structure is not a simple linear molecule. Instead, it forms a bent structure with one oxygen atom in the center and two other oxygen atoms on either side.
02

Explain the concept of resonance

Resonance is a concept from chemistry that helps us understand the behavior of molecules with multiple canonical structures (also known as contributing structures or resonance structures). These structures have the same arrangement of atoms but different locations of the bonds and lone pair electrons. The real structure of the molecule is a hybrid of these canonical structures, which spreads out the electrons over the entire molecule rather than being localized in a single bond or lone pair.
03

Identify the resonance structures of ozone

In the case of ozone, there are two canonical structures, with the double bond occurring between the central oxygen atom and one of the terminal oxygen atoms, and a single bond between the central oxygen atom and the other terminal oxygen atom. Both resonance structures have a formal charge of -1 on the terminal oxygen atom with the single bond. The true structure of ozone is a hybrid of these two canonical structures.
04

Describe the hybrid structure and bond character in ozone

The hybrid structure of ozone spreads out the electrons in the double bond over the three oxygen atoms in the molecule, effectively creating a bond that is somewhere between a single bond and a double bond between the central oxygen and each of the terminal oxygen atoms. This results in a bond character that is roughly 1.5 bonds, as the student claimed.
05

Concluding remarks

The claim that the bonds in ozone are not double bonds or single bonds, but approximately 1.5 bonds between each oxygen atom, is justified by the concept of resonance. This concept explains that the actual structure of ozone is a hybrid of two canonical structures, with electrons shared between the three oxygen atoms, resulting in a bond character that is somewhere between a single bond and a double bond.

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